Headmaster Snape and the Avatar of Death 2
by jcwriter
Summary: A nasty curse plays mind games with a number of wizards who have cheated death, including Severus, Jennifer, and even Harry. Who cast it is only half the problem...will they last long enough for Snape to find out why? T for lang.
1. A Vision of Death

A/N Welcome to Headmaster Series story two (Based on the Jennifer Craw Series, starting with _Jennifer Craw and the Phoenix Wand_), a series that began with a short story named _Headmaster Snape and the Case of the Silenced Siren_. Most stories in this series will be straight mysteries. But because I needed to introduce a couple of new characters and continue some storylines that started in the Jennifer Craw series, there will be a lot of character development in this story; in fact, because of it, it turned into a novellette more than a short, which is why I chose titles for this one. As in the past, I have borrowed some characters in later books but following a storyline that makes more sense for the overall series (that forks off the norm after GoF). For the record, however, I want to say that Horcruxes don't exist in my series...in my opinion they fall into the same category I put "metachlorians" in. Anyhow, thought I'd get saying that out of the way...as well as say I really hope you like my new student perspectives, although I warn you one is _intentionally _over the top...I am not a politically correct writer, it stifles creativity.

The story takes place just a few months after the first one. It's between 7 and 8 years since the last book, and Ambrose has just turned seven. That's all the background! Enjoy!

Chapter One

A Vision of Death

It was halfway through the summer holidays, and while the students and the majority of Severus Snape's staff was busy with their families, summer jobs, or any number of unproductive activities, Severus had long returned to Hogwarts. He had gotten approval from the school board for a little project of his and had been anxious to start on renovating the back storage room of the library.

It had been Hermione's idea but one of the few Severus actually agreed with; in fact, in many ways it had been a long time in coming. Any Professor in that school, especially one that had been there for awhile, could boast of an extensive personal library in their particular field. But sometimes research projects would find one or the other looking for a cross specialty and forcing them to borrow…and on occasion have to negotiate strenuously…with another Professor for a book or scroll that they might need. Once the faculty library was done, they would have the rare resources they needed for intensive work without the interference of haggling; of course, they would have to study in the room itself. Many of the staff that lent books for the project had distinctly insisted their rare volumes not leave the security of the room.

Severus stepped in and gazed around with his hands on his hips, looking over the huge book and scroll shelves being settled into place by a pair of Goblin carpenters while Librarian Boulderdash looked on. Spotting the headmaster, the Goblin librarian stepped over with an obvious expression of satisfaction on his gnarled, green face.

"Ah, there you are. How do you like the cases? I had them charmed to prevent dust from landing on them or any books or scrolls stored upon them."

"Unnecessarily ornate, don't you think?" Severus asked. The Goblin grunted.

"Sir, you may not be so particular about such things, but these cabinets here are going to outlive all of us. You can't blame the carpenters for wanting to put in their own signature touches for posterity's sake. They fixed those floorboards as well, as you can see. Are you sure the center of the room needs to remain open? We could use a few more bookcases…"

"Borrow some empty space from the dungeon to lengthen the room if you like, but the center aisle will remain open. And I want nothing around the windows either. It's not good for the books."

"I've already charmed the windows to filter the light, Severus," Boulderdash said, eyeing the Headmaster as if wondering why he was so insistent about the matter. "And exactly what is that thing in the center of the room?" He gestured to a thick octagon cherrywood pedestal which was covered with glass. A graceful, alabaster hand inside held a large unrefined crystal in its fingers, and placed just behind it were three concave mirrors sitting against the glass.

"Security," Severus said testily. "Speaking of which, where is Sirius?"

"Who wants to know?" Sirius' head appeared around one of the bookshelves. "Oh, it's just you," he went on in an unimpressed tone. Severus smiled poisonously at him. "Just checking out all the changes, Severus. Place looks splendid, doesn't it? In fact, you should be able to start moving in books tomorrow if you like."

"Not until I inspect all of the different security measures that were put in besides my own," Severus said.

"Well, if you're worried about anything conflicting, perhaps you could have told me exactly what your security measures do…"

"I'm not concerned about anything conflicting. I'm concerned about anyone getting in here that shouldn't be," Severus said. Sirius sighed.

"You know, I realize it's in your very nature to distrust me just as it's in my nature to dislike you," Sirius said. "But I can assure you that the fail-safes in this room are absolutely foolproof."

"They have to be more than foolproof, Sirius, they have to be student-proof," Severus said.

"Is there such a thing?" Boulderdash asked, only half-jokingly.

"Inspect and test all you like," Sirius said, bowing his head with a mocking grin. "No one is going to get in here that shouldn't be in here, Severus. I even reinforced the walls with charmed iron so it screens against wild magic teleportation. Even Anna can't get in here without using the door, let alone House Elves."

"It sounds thorough enough," Severus admitted reluctantly. "Still, I shall arrange for it to be tested tomorrow…"

"Arrange?" Sirius asked curiously.

"To see if the most cunning, powerful and disturbingly mischievous youth I know can get through it," Severus explained. "We'll see how it holds up."

"It'll hold, Severus," Sirius reassured him. "Besides, how many students do you honestly think would be that determined to break into a library of all places?"

"It wouldn't be the first time," Severus said.

"Yes, but Hermione is a Professor now," Sirius pointed out with a grin. Just then came the sound of someone clearing their throat…even though they didn't have one…came from just behind them. "Good afternoon, Ick."

"Good afternoon, Sirius," Icarus Ravenclaw said, floating in. "Decent of you not to have put any ghost inhibitors in here."

"I couldn't very well do it with ghosts on staff, could I?" Sirius said.

"Thank you, nonetheless. We are often forgotten, especially this time of year," Icarus said forlornly. Sirius and Severus exchanged an exasperated look through the vapor of the depressed ghost. "Headmaster, this project of yours…I really want to speak to you about it if you have the time for a member of the condemned."

Sirius immediately took the opportunity to excuse himself to help with the bookcases. He had a lot of mixed feelings about the phantasm who was once the Warden of Azkaban, and not all of them were favorable.

"I suppose you have some Divination tomes to donate?" Severus asked, ignoring Icarus' exaggerated melancholy.

"Oh…well, yes that…I suppose that _would_ be more important to you. But I just thought you ought to know that I remember this place rather vividly…I mean this whole renovation process. In fact, I even recall me telling you that I remember it just now," Icarus said almost casually. Severus frowned at him a moment, glancing at the pedestal then back at the ghost.

"Is it because something significant is supposed to happen?" Severus asked.

"Perhaps, although, I must admit, it is slightly different, even though I remember saying this as well," Icarus said. Severus stared blankly at him, waiting for him to continue. "Because from what I remember, Essie Brim was standing just on the other side of the doorway with Hermione…oh, never mind. There they are now and I guess that you'll soon forget all about me again…" he said glumly, watching as Severus turned around in surprise. But all Severus needed to do was to see the strangely dark look on Essie's face to know something serious was about to happen.

"I'll be in my office," Severus said to Boulderdash.

Severus had very little respect for Divination, and even less for those with fatalistic views about life. He was a man whose very existence depended on having as much control over his life and his situation as possible, and such ideas often impeded that.

But Severus had learned very early on the merit of listening to the warnings of Essie Brim; for they did not come often, and so far every one of them had been warranted. More than once had Essie saved lives by intervening before an unwanted event took place. Often Essie used her visions of the future as a way to control events instead of to doom someone to a particular fate; perhaps this was one of the many reasons why Severus had grown to accept her talent over many others who would use it to dictate the will of others. It had been several years since Essie had come to him for anything other than family events, and Severus knew better than to ignore it. In no time, he, Essie and Hermione had made their way up to his study, finding a tray waiting for them when they arrived.

"Thank you," Essie said, accepting a cup of tea. "I hope I didn't disturb anything important."

"Nothing that cannot wait, provided it doesn't wait all summer," Severus said casually. Hermione frowned at him, but Essie merely nodded.

"Well, if I could tell you for certain, I would, Uncle, but honestly I have no idea. In fact, I'm not even completely sure how important this is at all, or even what it means, only that I had a very strong urge to come here afterwards to tell you," Essie said, staring in her cup.

"A vision, Essie?" Severus prompted, pouring himself and Hermione cups as well before sitting down.

"It happened last night as I was taking my reading for the morning weather report," she explained. "I had no sooner stepped out of my house when I saw myself out on the countryside instead of inside of the city, walking up rolling hills. As I reached the top of one of them, I saw a figure…at first I thought it was a Dementor, for it was tall with a long black shroud. But then it raised its hand it had a sickle, and I knew that it was the Reaper, like from a Tarot deck. Suddenly, it was as if the air itself around me cracked like glass, and in each broken piece was another visage of Death. I tried to back away and then felt disoriented, finding myself looking into a crystal ball…I realized then that what I was seeing was some sort of reflection, and looked up to see you, Uncle, dressed in your old black robes and pinning up a number of those death cards on different members of family and friends…"

"Do you remember who?" Severus asked, unable to hide his alarm.

"Well, there was something else pinned to them, like small notes, which hid some of the faces," Essie admitted. "But I do know you and Aunt Jennifer were both up there, and so was Aurelius. And although I didn't see Corey, I am pretty sure he was there too."

"And who was there besides family that you remember?" Hermione asked sharply.

"Well, most of them were completely covered, but I can tell you one person who was on that board," Essie said. "It was Harry Potter."

"Oh no, not again," Hermione sighed, glancing at Severus who had sat back thoughtfully, sipping his tea. "Whatever you do, I wouldn't mention it to him if I were you. He's a bit sensitive about people predicting his death."

"I'm not sure that is exactly what it was showing, Hermione," Essie said, troubled. "It was more like some sort of elaborate warning for something that's going to happen, something Uncle Severus is going to try to piece together in some way."

"Maybe that's true, and I know from what everyone's told me that you do have a gift for this sort of thing, but I for one would like a bit more proof something odd is happening," Hermione said.

"Did you drink your tea yet?" Essie asked expressionlessly. Hermione stared at her a moment then looked down in her cup thoughtfully, glancing back over at her and trying to shake off the weird chill down her spine. As she set hers down by the others on Severus' desk, the three of them peered down to see that the tiny leaves in each cup had left identical shapes, unmistakable visages of the Grim Reaper.


	2. How Ambrose Saw Too Much

II

How Ambrose Sees Too Much

In a small area of Hogsmeade off the main road there lived a group of stout Muggles known by the locals as the "Haveners," after the town they originally came from. They, of course, knew everything about magic; and thus knowing everything also exposed their children to the fact that strange events that occurred in their youths were perfectly normal occurrences.

And of course, since the Muggles never attempted to curb their childrens' belief in magic, the Haveners had inevitably encouraged its development in them. In fact, the majority of Havener families now had children attending Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.

None of that could have been possible without the efforts of one Corey Willowby, the adopted and oldest son of Jennifer Craw and Severus Snape. His house was easy to distinguish from the others on Haven Row, for not only had it grown a third story in recent years, but a very large greenhouse took up a large portion of the back yard. His wife Rose had a particular knack of growing things; herbs and children alike, and there was seldom a moment during the day when one could walk down the lane and not hear the voices of energetic children inside.

Severus Snape knocked briskly on the front door and was answered by thundering footsteps. The rosy face of a curly golden-haired boy appeared in the side window, forcing the curtain aside and pressing his cheek against the glass before running off excitedly. Severus sighed and knocked again. Finally, Rose came to the door with a year old curly-haired girl in her arm, staring at Severus with speculative, serious eyes.

"Oh, I am sorry to keep you waiting, Severus! Do come in! Care for some breakfast?"

"No, thank you. Actually, I came here to see if I could borrow your brother for an hour or two," Severus explained.

"Oh, him," Rose said, suddenly exasperated as she took Amber into the kitchen. Severus was about to follow when the young boy got in his path, holding out a book.

"Not now, Charles. I'm afraid I don't have time for that today," Severus told him.

"I'm Charles the Third," the boy told him proudly. Severus stared at him expressionlessly for a moment.

"Well, you are named after your grandfather and your uncle, yes, but I think Charles is good enough by itself, don't you?"

"I'm Charles the Third," he declared again stubbornly, holding out the book.

"You are the third Willowby to have that name, yes, but I still intend to call you just Charles. Besides, you have a different middle name."

"I'm Charles the Third," he insisted again. Severus frowned critically at the boy.

"You're going to turn out to be a Gryffindor, aren't you?" he said flatly.

Rose chuckled from the doorway.

"Corey has been trying to teach them family history, and I'm afraid Charles has gotten quite adamant on the number. Put the book down, Charles, and come eat. Stop pestering your grandfather. Hope, would you go down to the basement and ask Ambrose to come up? And ask your sister to do us the honor of appearing to breakfast for a change?"

"I don't think she's going to be able to make it," Hope said, peering in the kitchen to see what was on the table.

"What do you mean? Why not?"

"Because Ambrose is playing with his aquarium again. That's what I came up to tell you," she said.

"Don't tell me she's a newt again!" Rose exclaimed.

"No, just an eel," Hope explained. "Can I go ahead and eat?"

"That boy!" Rose said with exasperation, waving her daughter in. "He's already lost every single privilege we can think of taking away from him for casting magic, and still he pushes us to the limit!"

"Care if I go down and handle it?" Severus offered.

"I would be grateful. He actually listens to you, and the situation has gotten out of hand. In fact, we've gotten three letters from the Ministry just this week threatening to suppress his magic if he doesn't stop this," Rose said.

"Draco knows how I feel about that already. I'll not have him stifled when he simply needs discipline," Severus said.

"We hardly let him run wild, Severus. And my mother is even stricter with him than we are," Rose said. "But considering how strong he is for his age, and considering his heritage, perhaps it's necessary…"

"Not until it's the last resort, Rose," Severus said firmly as they walked to the basement.

"We may be closer to that last resort than you think, Severus," Rose said, opening the door for him so he could head downstairs.

There he found a boy who had just turned seven with his head laying on his folded hands and looking into a rather large fish aquarium. Along the bottom were tiny Fomorian houses and even several meticulously carved wrecks filled with chests of Galleons that spilled out and covered the bottom of the tank.

"Good morning, Ambrose," Severus said, and immediately the dark-haired boy whirled around, his blue eyes sparkling with surprise and excitement.

"Godfather! What are you doing here?" he asked.

"I came to ask you to Hogwarts, but I'm not about to do something of the sort when Natalie seems to be missing from the house, am I?" Severus said sternly.

"She's not missing! She just…wanted to go swimming today," Ambrose explained with a grin.

"Really," Severus said, obviously not amused. "Let her out, Ambrose." Reluctantly the boy sighed and reached in the tank, fishing out an eel.

Just as he was pulling it out, it bit him hard and he dropped it. As it hit the floor, the eel immediately turned into a rather damp eight-year-old girl. Natalie scrambled to her feet and was instantly on Ambrose, ignoring the barks coming from Severus ordering them to stop. A second later, the two of them found themselves hanging upside down from their toes.

"Ambrose, apologize to your niece," Severus snapped.

"I'm sorry I turned you into an eel," Ambrose said glumly.

"Not accepted," Natalie said angrily.

"Good enough," Severus said, letting them go. "Come along, Ambrose, we're going for a walk."

"Wait a minute! Aren't you going to make her apologize to me?" Ambrose protested. Severus gazed at him expressionlessly for a moment.

"No, I don't think so, unless she feels you deserve one, which you probably don't," Severus said, turning back upstairs. Natalie stuck her tongue out at Ambrose, and then hurried to make sure she was right behind her grandfather in case Ambrose tried something else.

"I hate girls," Ambrose said, following them upstairs.

"I will be leaving with Ambrose now," Severus told Rose. "But he's promised to weed the Griffonlilies in the greenhouse when he returns. You shouldn't be doing that sort of work in your condition anyhow," he added, ignoring the fact that Ambrose's jaw had dropped at his forced 'volunteerism' while Natalie was grinning triumphantly.

"Well, that was nice of him," Rose said, gazing at Ambrose who slowly closed his mouth.

"Yes, well, if he changes his mind, or starts grumbling about it, or you suspect he's tried to cheat with magic at all, let me know and I'll arrange for him to spend the night at Azkaban…in the Fourth Quarter," Severus said calmly.

"You can't do that," Ambrose said unsurely.

"Try me," Severus said. "Shall we go?" Reluctantly, Ambrose nodded and followed Severus out. Rose shut the door behind them, shaking her head with a smile.

"Typical," Hope said from the kitchen table. "Even when he's in trouble, he still gets to go on an outing with Grandfather."

"I'm sure your grandfather has his reasons," Rose told her daughter.

"Well, at least he'll be missing breakfast," Natalie said, sitting down at the table. It was nice to win a round every now and then.

But Ambrose hadn't really been paying much attention to his stomach. Time alone with Severus was a very rare event, and Ambrose wasn't about to waste it by complaining about missing breakfast or about his temporarily suspended punishment. For as distant as Severus was to the boy, he was the closest thing to a father that Ambrose had truly ever known, and somehow was the key to all the questions that Ambrose often asked himself. Of that, the boy was quite certain, but he was just as certain that it wouldn't be easy to get many answers out of the quiet, taciturn Headmaster.

"Are we really going to Hogwarts, Godfather?" Ambrose asked, hurrying to keep up.

"I need your assistance to test something. It won't take long."

"It can take as long as you like! I've always wanted to see Hogwarts. I can't wait until I can go there to study!" Ambrose said.

"Who says you are going to make it there, especially the way you're going?" Severus asked.

"What do you mean? I think I've already proven I have enough magic…"

"That doesn't mean you should be flaunting it or abusing it," Severus scowled at him. "The Ministry is already on your mother's case about it, and I find myself getting increasingly involved in the matter. If you do not curb this path of self destruction you are on, you are never going to make it to Hogwarts."

"But I have dreamt of being there, Godfather. I know I make it…"

"Ambrose, how many times have I warned you not to accept any visions of yours as fact?"

"Well, they've panned out all right so far…"

"That doesn't mean they will in the future," Severus snapped. "Anything which can be predicted can be changed. I would have been dead a long time ago if it were any different. Now, I must insist that you get better control of that magic of yours before you get yourself into a mess that your family or I cannot bail you out of."

"Yes, Sir," Ambrose said, but he didn't stay quiet for very long. "I bet if I had a wand I would have better control…"

"You will wait until eleven like everyone else," Severus interrupted.

"I heard Aunt Jennifer say that she got her first wand when she was eight…"

"And it proved in many ways to be detrimental to her development. You will wait."

"But that's four years! Bad enough I have to wait that long to go to Hogwarts…"

"You will be seeing it in a few moments," Severus said, gesturing him towards the forest path ahead of them.

"You know what I mean," Ambrose sighed. "The Hogsmeade school is so boring. They never teach anything there I don't already know. Even the teachers there constantly tell my mother that I'm far ahead. There's no challenge in it. Perhaps you can tutor me in magic? Help me get started?"

"Ambrose, even if I had the time, which I certainly do not, you are much too far along as it is for someone of your age. If you want to do something productive, I suggest you work on training yourself how _not_ to use magic so much."

"That doesn't sound like much fun," Ambrose admitted. Severus simply glanced at him from the corner of his eyes before stepping out onto the grounds.

Ambrose forgot all about his arguments then as he stared wistfully at the castle. Just like he dreamed it would be! He imagined in his mind that this wasn't just a quick visit at all and was actually being escorted by the Headmaster himself to join the school in the fall, treated like the prodigy he knew himself to be.

He _knew_ he was; he had heard his teachers say it often enough and even from customers who came into his mother's dress shop. Why was it that the Headmaster himself didn't see it? In fact, in some ways it almost seemed like he took great pains to deny it.

The paintings watched with smiles and curiosity as he was led through the hallowed halls of Hogwarts and into its impressive library. Seeing so many titles of books dedicated to spell craft, Ambrose was aching to reach out and touch one and finally tried, only to get his hand smacked away by his godfather.

"Don't do that again," Severus warned him. He took him by the shoulder back to the doorway. "Wait here a moment." As Severus went inside, Ambrose attempted to see around him and saw only a glittering light beyond, soon blocked as Severus stepped back out with Sirius not far behind.

"Him?" Sirius said in surprise, pointing at Ambrose. "He's only seven!"

"Exactly the point, Sirius," Severus said. "He's young, talented and clever, and if a seven-year-old can do it, then I can definitely state it isn't student proof."

"Do you really think I'm talented and clever?" Ambrose asked brightly.

"He's not a student, Severus," Sirius pointed out.

"Yes, but he will be in four years and I'm thinking ahead," Severus snapped.

"And here I was expecting you to pull Cedric out on me," Sirius chuckled. "I'll go set up."

"What do you want me to do?" Ambrose asked.

"Simply enough, I want you to try to break into that room," Severus said.

"Why, what's in it?"

"It's going to be the staff library when all is said and done. Mr. Black insists it's protected enough. You're here to challenge it," Severus said, glancing up as Sirius came out the door and shut it, nodding to him.

"I see," Ambrose said. "So what's in it for me?"

"I beg your pardon?" Severus frowned. Sirius chuckled.

"I told you, Severus. No one wants to break into a library," Sirius said.

"Actually, I wouldn't mind breaking into this one, but that's not exactly what I meant. Even if I do succeed, you're not going to let me look at anything there, so what's the point?"

"If this is your way to blackmail me into getting out of your punishment for this morning, Ambrose, it isn't going to work," Severus scowled at him.

"Severus," Sirius interrupted. "The point of this whole experiment was to make sure that a motivated student couldn't get in that room. Ambrose is right. We really haven't given him any real reason to really _want_ to break in. So tell us, Ambrose, what would get you motivated enough to want to break in?" Ambrose looked up at Severus, who was glaring at Sirius menacingly. Then he looked back at Sirius again.

"A wand would do it," Ambrose said.

"Did I or did I not already say no?" Severus growled.

"Fine," Sirius said over Severus' voice. "Fine, if you succeed, I will personally give you a wand, and take full responsibility for doing so," he added when he saw the murder in Severus' eyes.

"Promise?" Ambrose said, studying him with his fierce blue eyes.

"Of course I promise," Sirius said as if insulted by the question, stepping closer to Severus. "Now don't worry, there's no way the boy's going to get in there."

Just then there was a blast of bright light and a large BANG which echoed through the room and halls. As Sirius' eyes recovered, he looked over with his jaw agape to see that the door itself had come off its hinges and had slid all the way across the floor to the base of the pedestal, leaving a gaping hole where it once stood. Severus sighed, crossing his arms and looking over at Sirius accusingly

"All right, so I need to work on the door," Sirius admitted quietly.

"And you have just given extra ammunition to a seven-year-old who already had enough on his own to annihilate a small town," Severus added acidly. Sirius shrugged apologetically.

"What is this?" Ambrose said in awe. Severus looked up in alarm and realized that he, too, had made a critical error. For as Ambrose stepped closer to the crystal it began to glow, and before Severus could stop it, images appeared in the mirrors behind them, reflecting carefully placed facets of the crystal.

"Severus, what the hell is that thing?" Sirius demanded.

"Shut up!" Severus snapped, rushing over to the boy's side. "What are you seeing?"

"People dying!" Ambrose said. "I think. Look, there's you!"

Severus crowded just behind him as his image became clear in the leftmost mirror, covered with blood in a dank cavern Severus remembered all too well. The center image held simply a hand flipping Death cards, while the final mirror housed the visage of the Reaper itself, surrounded by grey smoky figures. The image of the first mirror changed, and Severus saw yet another familiar scene…it was Jennifer before Voldemort, falling as two spells hit her practically simultaneously. As she fell, the scene turned to her pale face in a dark, dreadful place with the only the light of a crystal in her hand. At last, it grew hazy and she appeared in the hospital wing of the school, next to death once again, and that time of poison. A brief visage of a baby…and then Aurelius…on and on the images went until the robed hand of an elderly man appeared, carrying a phial and erasing the images into mist. But as he traveled through the mirrors to the last frame, a sieve came up and slashed the image in two; peeling it back as if it were a slashed painting.

Just then, there was a strange noise in Severus' ears, and out of the mirrors themselves sprang out three images of the Death Avatar, hovering above them. Severus blinked twice, and then they were gone.

"Ambrose," Severus said, his voice sounding strange even to his own ears. "Ambrose, what did you see?"

"I saw you dying in a cavern, and a woman's hand waving about as if to stop it, and a black cloud pulling it back," Ambrose said. "I saw Corey too, in a hospital bed with bandages on his head, and then later with a wound in his back, and another bottle being broken by the darkness."

"Sirius?" Severus asked quietly.

"I saw Harry many times over, every time he's ever been near death and…well, one close call of my own, actually," Sirius admitted. "Clouded over by that figure that rose up out of the mirrors. Are you going to tell me what that thing is now?"

"A tool I derived for my personal use," Severus said, pulling Ambrose back. "I don't want you going near it again, Ambrose."

"Do I still get my wand?" Ambrose asked.

"Severus, I'm not about to let you walk out of here without some explanation of what just happened," Sirius said.

"And if I had one I might just give it to you, if you haven't promised the boy something he doesn't deserve. One thing is certain; whatever is causing this can no longer be ignored, and I do not feel comfortable knowing that Jennifer is abroad right now," Severus said, leading Ambrose out of the back room.

"Abroad again? Does she ever stay home during the summer?" Sirius asked.

"I'm hardly going to ask her to stay in an empty castle while I work," Severus said tersely, "She took on a summer job, not that it's any of your business. I would like to go bring her back, if you don't mind staying and watching things here for an evening."

"I do have a door to fix and changes to make," Sirius sighed, eyeing the pedestal with a wary eye. "What about that thing?"

"Cover it for now," Severus said. "I don't yet know what all of these recent events mean, but whatever it is, I am quite sure the force behind it is malevolent. When I return, we'll arrange a meeting with everyone that we've seen involved in this strange occurrence."

"Am I involved?" Ambrose asked excitedly.

"No," Severus said firmly. "You are going home."

"I can do it, Severus. I can get his wand on the way," Sirius said.

"Thank you but I'll take care of that matter myself," Severus said firmly, motioning Ambrose to follow.

"That does include getting my wand, right, Godfather?"

"Yes, but I should warn you that no child is allowed to _use _a wand until they enter Hogwarts," Severus said.

"What?" Ambrose stammered.

"Sorry, but you should have thought about that when you asked for it," Severus said. Ambrose suddenly felt like he had been had.


	3. Another Kingler Conspiracy

III

Another Kingler Conspiracy

Even with summer's muggy nights, blistering heat, and air conditioners cranked up as far as they would go, Jennifer Craw Snape had learned that an astounding amount of people in New York City still rolled out of bed in the morning and straight into the nearest coffee shop. Tony explained it was necessary energy to chase down taxi's, while Sally confided in her that she wouldn't dare brave the streets of blaring horns and mad crowds without it. But Rob, always practical, just told them to stop jabbering and start pouring.

An enterprising vendor had recently decided to pitch a newspaper stand between Kingler's Café and Isaac's Deli. It had not only benefited from Kingler's loyal customers but brought new ones in for Kingler's, filling the booths with businessmen who held a coffee in one hand and a paper in the other. They were not a particularly friendly or conversational lot, but they did drink a lot of coffee and kept the place hopping in the mornings. Privately Jennifer was always glad when the hour of nine o'clock approached and they all dispersed, allowing Sally and herself to keep more of their attention on the block locals, who began to wander in soon after the business crowd left with unhurried steps and gaping yawns as if they had all day to sit and talk.

It was just after that first rush and before the locals began to stream in that Jennifer often took her first break. That day…as she had for the last couple of days…she sat down at the desk at the back and stared at a blank piece of paper, wondering on whether or not to mar it with the pen in her hand. She had taken out a piece of scrap and had run the pen vigorously across it to get it to write, but ended up doodling rather than actually writing.

"Oh, no, don't tell me you still haven't written him yet?" Sally said from behind her, a towel still in hand. "I thought you had made up your mind about it already."

"Making up my mind is easy, Sally. Making up his mind is hard," Jennifer chuckled. "I'm trying to think of how to word it so he doesn't send me one of his emphatic 'no's before I even get started."

"Then don't say anything. Just ask him to come to New York for a couple of days," Sally said. "Let him see her for himself."

"I'd hate to take him away from his work. They're renovating the school…"

"Jackie, are you trying to tell me she isn't worth it?" Sally squinted at her.

"Of course she is," Jennifer said.

"Then why are we having this conversation?" Sally asked. Rob barked his wife's name to warn her that a customer had come in. Sally leaned back to see who it was and her face immediately brightened. "Well! It seems someone has decided to make up your mind for you!" she said enigmatically.

Blinking in confusion, Jennifer put down the pen and went over to the door, staring in surprise to see her tall, black-haired husband sitting down at the bar wearing a rather ugly tweed brown suit.

"What in Constellations are you doing here?" Jennifer asked in amazement.

"Ordering coffee," Severus said easily. He nodded to Sally and Rob in greeting and they both welcomed him warmly in return.

"Did you want to wait on him, or shall I?" Sally asked in a low voice.

"I'll do it," Jennifer told her with a warning smile, grabbing her apron off the hook and stepping behind the counter.

"You know, Professor, I got all of that fancy tea just for you, but every time you show up here, you order coffee," Sally scolded him when Jennifer turned his cup over.

"Consider myself a convert, thanks to the quality of your coffee," Severus said smoothly, nodding to her respectfully.

"And here I thought it had something to do with the quality of my help," Sally said with a wink.

"Well, yes, that too," Severus admitted. "Sally, how put out would you be if she had to leave a few days early?" Jennifer studied him, attempting to read his thoughts.

"If you're asking if I would be in a bind, I would have to say yes. She said she was staying another two weeks!" Sally protested.

"Something unexpected has come up at home and I need her back as soon as possible," Severus explained seriously, gazing at his wife. "Something I have yet to identify that may endanger us and many people we know."

"Anything we can do, Professor?" Rob ventured.

"Thank you, but no. Nothing except for allowing me to steal your summer help," Severus said.

"An emergency's an emergency," Rob shrugged. "We'll manage."

"Oh, but I can't go yet, not before…well, at let's give Sally a night to cover for me, at least," Jennifer said quickly.

"Yes, that'd be most helpful," Sally immediately agreed, glancing at Rob who was looking confused.

"Huh? Oh right, right," he agreed when Sally brought her hand up behind her back and crossed her fingers. Severus squinted.

"Come now, Severus," Jennifer said, leaning over the counter in front of him. "Surely staying one night couldn't hurt?"

"What are you up to, Jennifer?" Severus asked in a low voice, gazing at her suspiciously.

"Well, I happen to be staying in your old room, you know, the one you stayed in when you had to rescue me from here," Jennifer said, soft enough that no one else could hear. "I thought perhaps it'd be fun to, well, pick up where we left of before we got interrupted that night?" Severus stared at his openly flirtatious wife for a long moment.

"Very well, one evening. But don't assume that in _any_ way means I don't know you are up to something," he warned her in a whisper. "I have enough mysteries going on without having to stop and figure out whatever you're about."

"I'll just warm up your coffee," Jennifer said with an enigmatic smile that made Severus even more suspicious.

"Besides, it'll give us some time to chat and catch up," Sally said brightly.

"Don't you have a schedule to fill?" Severus said bluntly.

Rob chuckled outright as Sally's face fell. He failed to duck a towel that got snapped at him when she walked to the back room.

A sudden blast of heat announced the presence of another customer, and Jennifer immediately set down the pot and hurried over to help a very wizened old woman.

"Here, here! Not the booths, Jackie, I want to sit at the bar where the action is!" Emma protested, eyeing the man sitting there. "Why, it's the Professor, isn't it! Come to visit, have you?"

"Good morning, Emma," Severus said politely. "I see you're still getting around."

"They say it's healthier to stay active," she said cheerfully, "even if it does simply involve crossing the street for a cup of coffee! Where's Lucky? Hasn't she been here yet?"

"Not today, Emma," Jennifer said quickly.

"Who?" Severus asked.

"Oh, just another regular customer here, Severus," Jennifer explained.

"Now, there's nothing 'regular' about that girl, and that's a fact. I hope she's not gotten herself into trouble again. Do you suppose she got thrown into juvenile?"

"Have some coffee, Emma, and a menu," Sally said, coming out of nowhere to wait on her, while Jennifer merely shrugged noncommittally. Severus, however, didn't miss the quick exchange between Sally and his wife as they passed one another.

"What about you, Severus? Like some breakfast?" Jennifer asked as she finally finished filling his cup.

"Is there anything edible here?" Severus murmured in a low voice.

"I heard that!" Rob barked from the kitchen. Jennifer chuckled.

"I think you'll find the eggs benedict tolerable, but I really don't think you'd like the sausage here, they look more like shriveled fingers…"

"Jackie!" Sally said horrified, poking her in the side.

"If you think you can do better," Rob said, shaking his spatula at her warningly.

"Very well," Jennifer said with a grin, disappearing into the kitchen.

"He's never let anyone back there before," Sally mused. "I wonder if that's a good thing or a bad thing."

"It can't hurt," Emma chuckled, handing back her own menu. "Senior special for me, dear. I can't go to bingo on an empty stomach, after all. Last time I did that I got such dirty looks when it growled. The other old bats have gotten so stuffy since I started winning!"

"Hey! It's the Professor!" A rather small but broad-shouldered cab driver greeted as he came in the door, uncharacteristically holding a newspaper in hand. "Long time no see!"

"Hello, Tony," Severus said. "How is business?"

"Stop and go, what else?" Tony joked, taking his normal seat at the end of the bar. "Has Lucky been here yet?"

"No, not yet," Emma said. "I hope she's not too late. We were supposed to go out today."

"Oh, yeah, bingo day," Tony nodded and then waved to Sally, who smiled and poured him a cup. "Hope she's not in trouble again or anything. Suppose she went home?"

"Tony, after as many times Rob and I have attempted to send her back there, you should know by now that no one can make that girl do anything against her will," Sally said, then looked up as a flash of sunlight reflected off the door. "Well, I think that's her now."

Severus found himself turning around with the others to spy a young girl of ten or eleven with black hair and eyes, caramel skin, and wearing rather unique apparel. She wore overly large jeans with a brightly dyed blue and green sash as a belt, a vivid red ribbed tank top, and a blue jean jacket was hanging over her shoulders in spite of the weather. Her hair was pulled up into two tortured tails with a spare braid running down the back, and was wearing much more makeup than Severus would even remotely consider appropriate for a girl her age. In fact, if any of his own daughters had ever come in looking like that, they would have either been sent to their room for the rest of the summer or thrown in the dustbin and disowned. But enthusiastic greetings came from around him, and even Jennifer's glowing face appeared in the kitchen doorway. Severus turned to stare at her and she quickly disappeared again. Oh no, Severus thought to himself, resisting the urge to groan. Not again.


	4. Lucky

IV

Lucky

"Hey Lucky," Tony called out, and the girl immediately turned to him and pointed at him with both hands. "I was wondering if you have more picks?" he asked, lowering his voice a bit. "I got the day off and was hoping to go to Belmont and all…"

"Sure, _amigo_, just make sure you get the numbers in the right order this time," the girl said, taking the newspaper from him.

"Oh I will, Lucky. This time I'm just going to box the bets so I don't mess up," Tony promised her, handing her his notebook and eagerly watched as she put some numbers down. "Is that a seven or a two?" he asked nervously, making her write them over.

"Here you go, same deal as before, s_í_?"

"No problem, Lucky, thanks," Tony said, then began to shovel his breakfast in.

"Still coming with me today, Lucky?" Emma asked hopefully.

"Why do you think I'm here? You know I always keep my word!" she said indignantly.

Lucky spied a soda set out for her beside the tall stranger's seat and immediately sat down beside him. Severus had missed when exactly when the drink had gotten there, but as he attempted to get another look at the girl from the corner of his eyes, he found that the girl was doing the same thing to him.

"'Ey, Jackie, what you doing back there? You in trouble or something?" Lucky grinned when she saw Jennifer in the kitchen.

"I'm coming!" Jennifer said, hurrying out with two plates, one for Severus and the other filled with chocolate chip pancakes for the girl.

"What's that? Chorizo?" Lucky asked, pointing her knife at his plate at Jennifer set them down.

"My idea of sausage," Jennifer said, getting a murderous look from Rob.

"Oh, yeah, the sausage here looks like shriveled fingers or somethin'," Lucky joked, and the sound of banging pots and pans could be heard from the kitchen. "Is that fish on your toast?"

"Do you always start conversations with strangers by commenting on their food?" Severus asked her.

"I just want to know if you're really going to eat that stuff or you lost a bet, that's all," Lucky said. Jennifer cleared her throat.

"Severus, this is one of the Kingler's new regular customers, Fortuna Conejo. Fortuna, this is Professor Snape."

"Did you have to tell him that? You know I hate my name! It tempts boys in school to call me 'tuna,' and I detest having to beat them up," she said, cracking her knuckles before offering Severus her hand. "My name's Lucky. Everyone calls me Lucky."

Reluctantly Severus took it, but instead of looking at her, he was busy eyeing his wife and wondering if she was scheming what he was afraid she was scheming.

"You don't know it, but you just got yourself a whole day of luck by shaking my hand there. Because I really am lucky."

"Oh, really," Severus said, frowning as Jennifer attempted to tiptoe away. "More coffee, if you please?" Reluctantly, Jennifer came back over with the coffeepot, handing her husband the opportunity to throw her a very accusing look. "To be perfectly honest, I have never been one to believe in such things."

"'Ey, I understand," Lucky said, nodding companionably. "I wouldn't believe it either if I wasn't me. I can prove it to you, if you want."

"Thank you, but I'm not really interested," Severus said, turning his attention to his breakfast.

"Oh, but she's telling the truth, Professor," Emma said. "This little girl is a real gem! Why, the last time I took her to bingo with me, I got paid up on all my credit cards and my rent for six months!"

"Yeah, and I've finally got a bit of a retirement nest egg…although I'd have more if I got the last trifecta she gave me right," Tony muttered.

"That's okay, Tony. If you win all the time, people would get suspicious anyhow," Lucky said. "I got my interests to protect too."

"So you use this 'luck' of yours to make money for people," Severus said. "What is your share in it, then?"

"A mere ten percent, with one percent of that going to charity," Lucky said cheerfully. "I have to make a living too. This town isn't cheap, you know."

"I see," Severus said expressionlessly, not looking away from his breakfast. "I take it you care for yourself then?"

"Better than getting lost in the system," Lucky said with a shrug, drowning her pancakes in syrup.

"She does have a foster home, Professor," Sally interrupted. "In fact, she's had several this summer, but they've had no luck keeping her in them…"

"Of course not. _I've_ got all the luck," the girl shrugged as if that was obvious.

"We even tried to call welfare a dozen times that first month…but we finally gave up," Sally admitted. "All it accomplished was another black mark on her record."

"Don't sweat it, _mujer,_ they'll all go away when I turn eighteen, and then I'll be able to go wherever I want," Lucky reasoned. "No more hopping around from home to home when I don't want to be in any of them. On the street, I'm the boss."

"It's too rough in this town for a girl your age to be out on the street, luck to protect you or not," Rob said from the back. "You should try using that luck of yours to find a real home… and then stay there."

"Oh, you're just sore because I won't give you lottery numbers," Lucky said, waving him off.

"And why not, if you can manipulate numbers as well as you seem to be able to do," Severus asked. He didn't miss the fact that behind him Jennifer was nodding and smiling enigmatically. There had been no doubt in her mind that the girl had a magic talent for numbers.

"Well, it wouldn't be fair, that's all," Lucky explained. "If I give them lottery picks, I'll be taking an opportunity away from someone else who may need it more."

"And yet picking horses and bingo numbers isn't doing that?" Severus asked.

"No, that's different," Lucky said with her mouth full, but finished swallowing before she continued. "See, those bookies and parlors, who are they run by? Capitalists, _hombre_, corporate America. They're there only to take advantage of normal everyday people and rob us of every dime we have. Since more than one person can win in the horses, it don't hurt nobody but them. And bingo games? They are supposed to go to charity, but most of that money simply goes back into the bank account to 'run' them and not to anybody in general, and you can't tell me they're aren't people skimming that down at every opportunity. So this way, I make sure some of it _really_ does go to charity, while helping out a friend at the same time. Now lottery…that's like…tax payer's money! I wouldn't feel right about that. It'd be taking regular people's money and stealing from whoever might have won if I hadn't given out the number. It's the corporation that should pay, not the people."

"I see. Take from the rich and give to the poor," Severus said, still not looking over at her.

"_Exactamente!_ You're not so dumb," Lucky decided.

"That part, at least, you are quite correct about," Severus said, fixing his gaze back on his wife, who was taking great pains to clean the serving counter. "Sally, if you don't mind, I'd like to have a word with your employee. Just a word."

"Of course, Professor," Sally said, coming over as he got up. "More soda, Lucky?"

"And more syrup," Lucky agreed. Jennifer nervously slipped around the counter and over to the far side of the room.

"Yes, Severus?" Jennifer asked.

Severus smiled dangerously.

"No." Severus said.

"No? No what?" Jennifer asked anxiously.

"I think 'no' was a sufficient enough word," Severus said, turning around.

"Oh, please, Severus, you can at least talk to me about this," Jennifer whispered. "I know you haven't seen her talent, but if you did, you'd see that she was more than up to…"

"Jennifer, the girl is, as she put it, lost in the system, and we're in the United States. There is no way in hell that they would allow an obvious ward of the state to go to a school outside of the country."

"We could find her a permanent home perhaps…"

"Jennifer, 'no' was meant to cover every level of this discussion, and this time I am not changing my mind," Severus said firmly. "No time, no inclination, no patience, and no interest. Not this time, Jennifer. I'll put in a letter to some of the local magic schools about her if you like, but that is the limit of my involvement in this."

"None of the local schools will take her with the record she has, Severus, I already checked," Jennifer murmured as he began to walk away.

"That is not our decision, and this is not our country," Severus said firmly then headed back to the table. Even though no one seemed to have heard what was said, none of them missed that whatever it was had been quite heated. Severus also didn't miss the fact that when Jennifer went stomping into the back room that Rob and Sally stopped what they were doing and glared at him.

"Hey, Lucky, how about some more pancakes?" Rob said, sending a plate up before she even answered. Lucky had been stabbing at the very last piece of her pancakes distractedly when Severus sat back down.

"'Ey, what's the story between you and Jackie?"

"Jennifer…Jackie as you call her, is my wife," Severus said, frowning because his eggs had grown cold.

"Oh, that explains a lot. My parents were married, so I understand. They fought a lot too."

"We don't fight, Fortuna. We simply have disagreements from time to time," Severus said.

"Yeah, that's what Mama used to say too, 'til she burned up in a fire. Sister, too. The cops think _mi padre_ did it, tho' after he got shot he didn't have a chance to say. Me, I had fallen asleep downstairs watching T.V. and got myself out without a scratch before I knew what happened to everybody else. Guess I'm just lucky that way," she said, pouring the whole bottle of syrup over her plate. "So what if I take advantage of my luck sometimes? I'm just survivin', just like everyone else in this stinkin' town. Not like anyone's gonna notice one more Hispanic kid on the street here. And Professor, I am also not stupid. I know what argument that was about," Lucky said, getting up and throwing down a wadded twenty on the bar. "_Uno momento_, Granny, I better go wash my hands and stuff."

"Take your time, dear, we still have an hour," Emma assured her.

"Hey, I'll drive you guys," Tony said with a grin. "Makes me feel safer when that kid is in the car anyhow."

Severus pushed his breakfast plate away and sat with fingers laced, futilely attempting to brush away the morning's events and concentrate on how to productively use his afternoon while waiting for Jennifer to finish her shift. He was still debating between exploring the local library and finding out if Vallid was in town when someone else arrived. The man who entered was so intent that at first he didn't notice who was sitting at the bar.

"Tony, have you seen Lucky?" Mark Ghent asked anxiously. "She was going to look over the opening numbers for me."

"Yeah, she'll be right out," Tony said unconcernedly. Severus, on the other hand, was squinting at him suspiciously. As Mark went to sit down at a booth, he caught the look out of the corner of his eye and nearly jumped out of his shoes.

"Oh, Severus! I wasn't expecting to see you here. Visiting Jennifer, I suppose?" Mark said conversationally from across the room. Sally glanced between them, looking rather amused. "Just a cup of coffee, Sally?"

"How about decaf?" she said slyly, bringing him over an individual pot and a cup and saucer.

"How have you been?" Severus said in an exaggeratedly polite tone. Jennifer, who had gone back to do the dishes to cool off, took one look at what was going on and decided to go find something else to wash.

"Quite well, actually. Back on my feet, with a little help. How are things at the school?" Mark asked with the same stiff politeness.

"Never better," Severus said, his eyes darting to the girl coming out of the bathroom.

"There you are, Mark! Thought you were going to miss me, _hombre_. What you do, take the subway?" Lucky asked.

"Worse, I took a cab," Mark explained, handing her a piece of paper.

"Hey!" Tony said indignantly.

"Pen?" Lucky asked. She then glanced over the stock numbers, grabbing the pen from his hand before sitting at the table to write. "hold…hold…buy…hold…sell…sell….'ey!" she said, staring at one of them. "Didn't I tell you to sell that one, like, three days ago?"

"Yeah," Mark grumbled. "But one of the analysts said…"

"You don't listen to no analysts, they're corporate thugs. You listen to me. And stop watching that guy with no hair on T.V. I'm better," Lucky told him, finishing her notes. But as he reached out to take it, she pulled it back. "Just a minute, you still owe me money from last time."

"Yes, I know, and I have it," Mark said. "But there's something I want to tell you about it."

"I don't want to hear about anything. I just want to see the cash," Lucky said impatiently. "Come on, the old lady's waiting on me."

"See? I have it, it's here," Mark said, showing her his inside coat pocket before leaning across the table lowering his voice. "But I was thinking it might be wise to save some extra money between us…you know, about what we talked about."

"I thought we decided there was some problem with that…like you being a felon and all?" Lucky said warily.

"Yes, I know, but I happen…I'm sorry, do you need something, Severus?" Mark asked when he noticed that the wizard had gotten up and had closed in on them.

"What makes you think I need anything?" Severus asked expressionlessly.

"Well, for one thing, you're standing over the table," Mark pointed out.

"No, I don't need anything to speak of. Feel free to continue," Severus said with a wave of the hand.

"It was a private conversation, Severus," Mark said.

"Don't worry, Professor. I know this guy, it's okay," Lucky said.

"Yes, I know him as well, and I guarantee you I know him better than you do," Severus said crisply. "And I would like to think that I have been quite patient under the extreme circumstances of our relationship. Especially considering that he held my wife hostage against her will to get himself out of personal debt…without any thought to the long term consequences of his actions. Out of respect for my wife, I have been perhaps _too_ civil to him over the years; tolerating even occasional visits to the penitentiary just because of one last minute attempt at redemption, and perhaps also for his agreement to testify against someone who still managed to get out of prison anyhow. And yet for some reason, despite that mutual civility, I find both as a school administrator and as a parent that I feel a certain level of concern that you, Mark, would feel a need to have a private conversation of _any_ sort with an eleven-year-old girl, who conveniently enough has no guardian or parent to intervene and let you know it is inappropriate."

"Oh, butt out! It's none of your business," Lucky said in annoyance. But she looked up in surprise when Mark hurriedly stood. "Hey! What about my money!" Glancing at Severus, who simply gazed back at him unyieldingly, Mark took out an envelope and handed it over before attempting to excuse himself.

Severus didn't move at first, contemplating, his fingers holding down the paper with the symbols on the table, preventing Mark from taking it. But finally Severus stepped away and held the paper out to him.

"I wouldn't try this again if I were you," Severus warned. Wordlessly, Mark took it and nodded, walking out of the café.

A loud round of applause broke out from behind him, and he turned to see Rob and Sally standing behind the counter clapping, while Jennifer, suds up to her arms, peered around the corner wondering what all the fuss was about.

"How did you do that, anyways?" Lucky demanded from where she sat at the table. Severus was busy indicating to his wife that he was going out for a few hours and didn't answer her right away.

"How did I do what, Fortuna?" he said at last.

"You know, that thing with the paper," Lucky said. "All my buys and sells switching all around when you put your fingers on it. You don't think I missed that, do you?"

"As you said, you are not stupid," Severus said curtly, waiting until Jennifer went to the back before looking over at the girl again. "What was he talking to you about just now? What was he referring to when he said something you spoke about before?"

"Oh, that," Lucky said. "Nothing, like…_wrong_…or anything like that. He was just talking about adopting me at one point, but he can't because of his police record. Guess he's found a way to get around it."

"On the contrary, it seems your 'luck' as you call it has just prevented him from ever getting around it," Severus said, bringing out a business card.

"What's this?" Lucky said warily, staring at the card. "Lawyer? What would I need from some Park Avenue lawyer?" Lucky asked.

"I suppose you'll have to decide that for yourself," Severus said. "She may be able to help you more than you think."

"I'm fine the way I am, and on my own, _gracias_," Lucky said.

"Suit yourself," Severus said, apparently no longer concerned with the girl's future as he turned for the door.

"Hey wait, you didn't tell me how you did that thing with the paper yet!"

"Magic," Severus said briskly, then headed out to find an owl. Lucky rolled her eyes and shook her head, thinking it a nonsensical answer.


	5. Dark Poetry

V

Dark Poetry

Severus knocked softly on the door, then waited. Finally he flicked out his wand, unlocked it, and walked in. Jennifer turned from her packing and glared at him.

"I'm not speaking to you at the moment. You might as well just go away," Jennifer said.

"I'm hardly going home without you, and as I recall, you invited me to stay," Severus reminded her, closing the door behind him. Jennifer muttered something as she opened another drawer. "Shall I get out a hearing potion or go straight to Telepathy? I brought both," he said casually.

"I said, that was before you started behaving irrationally," Jennifer said, tossing a large pile of clothing into the suitcase which somehow managed to accommodate it.

"Really," Severus said evenly. "Curiously enough, I remember this morning's events differently. Jennifer, you have always had a tendency to latch on to people who lack a clear direction and get emotionally involved in helping them find it," he said bluntly. "I have often thought it was because you had so much trouble in your youth trying to find your own…"

"Don't start psychoanalyzing me, Severus Snape," Jennifer said hotly.

"And it has in some ways made you a better teacher," Severus continued in a louder voice, refusing to let her fly at him. "But you could be a better teacher, as well as a better person, if you didn't get so emotionally attached to everyone you find in that position!"

"Such as yourself?" Jennifer challenged him with a fiery flash in her eyes.

"Such as any stray child you happen to meet with any inclination at all to magic," Severus said. "We raised five children, Jennifer. We have four grandchildren, soon to be five, and on top of all of that, generations of Hogwarts students to our credit. Isn't that even remotely sufficient?"

"No, not if it means we have to turn a single child away, Severus. Especially not Lucky!" Jennifer said stubbornly.

"We cannot save them all, Jennifer! It's unrealistic to even try!" Severus said firmly. "Magic or no, we are only two people and there are a hundred million magical children in this world, millions of which won't see the inside of any school, just like many Muggle children won't, and there is nothing I can do about it!" Jennifer paused for a moment.

"It sounds to me as if it bothers you," Jennifer said quietly.

"Of course it bothers me. It should bother everyone. Perhaps if it did, we wouldn't have this problem," Severus said irritably. "But that doesn't change the facts, and I think it's time you learned to face them."

"We may not be able to help them all, Severus," Jennifer said quietly. "But that doesn't change the very fact that we are in an arm's reach of Lucky. It would be wrong to just sit by and let her go off to at best what will turn out to be a dismal future, talent with Number-turning or no…"

"I swear, Jennifer, if anything is ever going to be the death of me, it'll be you and your stubbornness," Severus declared. "If it makes you feel any better, I spent the afternoon informing Vallid of Fortuna's situation, and have arranged for her to try and intervene. Happy now?"

"Well, it isn't exactly what I wanted…"Jennifer said slowly.

"I know what you wanted, Jennifer," Severus said. "Does that mean we're speaking again? But God help me if you decide to speak to me any more than when you're 'not speaking to me.'" Jennifer chuckled softly and got up, leaning into him. "You can care without caring too much, you know."

"If I could, would we even be together, let alone having this discussion?" Jennifer challenged him.

"Probably not," Severus admitted. "So, um…what about that business of picking up where we left off?"

The shutters were closed tightly over the windows to minimize the flickering lights of cars passing on the streets below, and a simple spell subdued the noise of the city, making the room fairly comfortable. But Severus found himself having a lot of trouble staying asleep. Finally he opened his eyes, trying to sense the room around him.

Many years ago in more troubled times he had trained himself to awaken when danger threatened, despite the fact that he was normally a deep sleeper. Rain still disturbed him, remnants of the horrors that Ciardoth had brought, but there was no sound of it now. Peering out the window proved to show nothing but a typical muggy evening, nor was there any sounds at all coming from the hall. He glanced over at the bed to see Jennifer sleeping quite peacefully, and reluctantly laid back down again.

He never remembered going to sleep, but he vividly remembered the moment when he opened his eyes to find himself deep within the maze once known as the Forbidden Tomb, bleary from poison and loss of blood. A giant serpent was at his feet, and hazily he knew that something was wrong with that. Part of it, he realized a moment later, was that the Serpent was not dead.

"Severus Snape," the serpent hissed in Parselmouth, "why do you survive?"

"Because I'm brilliant, I suppose," Severus said.

"Think you so?" the serpent hissed. "Think you can so easily cheat death, through the aid of others who have done the same? Death calls your name, Severus, can you not hear it? It is time that you answer."

"Sorry, no," Severus rasped. "Perhaps there were times in my life I would have let go…perhaps even this moment in time you are showing me. But I've too much to do now, so I must decline."

"Then face the consequences," the serpent hissed, raising its head and spewing out a thick fog. Words began to form within it, and Severus squinted, trying to control his double vision to read it.

_Once you sought the power of Death_

_Behind a blackened hood_

_And unless you pay the debt of life_

_Your evil will overtake your good._

"Is that your idea of a threat?" Severus asked unconcernedly, but as the fog dissipated, so had the Serpent; leaving in its place the black robed visage of Death that Severus was becoming all too familiar with.

"Severus?" echoed a voice out of the darkness. It sounded distant, and yet Severus knew somehow it was near. "What is that? Severus, wake up and look at this!"

As if swimming up through deep water, Severus forced himself to waken at Jennifer's bidding, blinking and sitting up forcibly despite his clouded head. Before he could focus, fiery words hanging over the bed had already turned into smoke. Coughing, Jennifer reached for her wand on the nightstand and forced the window open to give them some air.

"Did you see that?" Jennifer repeated anxiously, pulling her blankets up around her. _"Monstre hostis!"_ she intoned, the spell meant to reveal any enemies lurking in the room, but no one appeared.

"I don't think anyone's here," Severus said, but reached for his robe anyway. "I just had a strange dream…what did those words say, Jennifer?"

"I'm not sure I remember exactly now…" Jennifer said thoughtfully.

"Well, remember exactly! Spit it out, it may be important! Did you have a dream as well?"

"Hang on a moment," Jennifer said. "No, not a dream, exactly, just a sense of something over me. I woke up and thought for a moment that I saw a dark figure…but then it burst into flames and created words," she said, attempting to close out Severus' anxious expression so she could think. "Okay, I think I remember it started with Time and time again…" Jennifer said, going over it in her head to make sure she got it right before repeating it.

"'_Time and time again, you have stolen life,_

_But be warned, it cannot continue,_

_Others will fall, leaving you no escape,_

_Attempt to live, and your fears will consume you.'_

"That was all, Severus, although I have no idea what it's all about," Jennifer said, gazing at her husband who looked off distantly. "Severus, does this have anything to do with that trouble at home you were talking about?"

"Yes, it does," Severus said, gazing at her thoughtfully. "Although now I wonder if we were the only ones who experienced what just happened."


	6. The Curse

VI

The Curse

When they arrived out of the Forest a few hours later, Severus was only slightly surprised to hear a great number of voices coming from Sagittari's hut. It was Sirius who answered the door, but so many people began talking at once that Severus couldn't sort it out. Finally he invited everyone up to the study and refused to respond to any questions until everyone had arrived and had calmed down.

"All right, who here have seen a manifestation of, for lack of a better term, a Death Avatar?" Severus asked at last.

Hermione, Ron, and Sagittari were the only ones not to raise their hands, so Severus gazed at the others. Sirius, Anna, Aurelius, Corey, Harry, and Essie were all there.

"So here are we that cheated Death, eh?" he murmured to himself.

"Actually, I'm not sure whether I count in that or not, Uncle," Essie put in. "I had another vision of these avatars seeking certain targets, but one didn't approach me personally."

"Ginny saw one as well," Harry put in. "She just had to work tonight, so I came."

"Anyone know of anyone else?" Severus asked thoughtfully.

"I don't know anyone in particular," Essie said, "But at the same time, I'm quite sure that there may have been more."

"Yes, I think so as well," Severus said, his eyes darting to Corey. "What happened to you?"

"I was just getting home from work," Corey said. "When I got to the porch, I noticed one of the windows was fogged over and there was writing on it. At first I thought it may have been one of the kids playing, until I read it."

"What did it say?" Severus asked, getting out a dictation quill.

"It read, 'Twice in flight you should have died, Once by Bludger, the other by blade. Like a bird with clipped wings, you will dread the sky, until the day when your life does fade.' Can't say much for the poet, but I know there's no way any of the kids wrote it, and Ambrose was at his mother's."

"No, this is no child's prank, and I definitely see a pattern here," Severus said.

"It sounds to me like a complex vengeance curse, Severus," Jennifer nodded. "It has conditions and consequences, classic despite its scope."

"Yes, I concur. Corey, did you experience anything strange after you read it?" Severus asked.

"Yes, that's when I turned around and saw the Reaper," Corey said. "He seemed to hover there like a Dementor for a moment then faded away."

"Probably the sign of the curse itself. I bet reading the script put in front of us is what's actually triggering the curse," Harry said.

"Perhaps we should put out a warning for people not to read them?" Ron suggested.

"The only problem with that is that most people go out of their way to read things that anyone tells them not to," Hermione said.

"Not to mention how hard it is to avoid it. In Ginny's and my cases, the words pretty much appeared right in front of us. One automatically reads something in their face like that," Harry pointed out.

"What did yours say, Harry?" Severus asked.

"Something about getting hunted," Harry said. "Honestly, until Ginny called out, I thought it was just some message left by a dark wizard recently out of jail or something trying to threaten me. Except there was something odd about it…it had said something like, 'Second youngest to survive a death meant to be, your life has been nothing but a chain of betraying death. You have become one of its worst enemies, and yours will hunt you until your dying breath.' What do you make of that?"

"Well, it won't win any awards, that's for sure," Ron said, folding his arms to keep Hermione from jabbing his side.

"Second youngest?" Sirius frowned. "Who could possibly have cheated death at any younger age than you did, Harry?"

Jennifer and Severus immediately looked at one another.

"Alicia," Jennifer said.

"Perhaps you had better send her an Owl," Severus said. "Where is she? Still in Australia?"

"Art exposition in Hong Kong," Jennifer said.

"Is she even speaking to you yet, Severus?" Sirius asked, and Severus gave him a dirty look.

"No, she isn't," Aurelius said, getting the look turned on him. "There's something else you probably should know as well, Father. This isn't the first time this whole Avatar thing has come up." Severus squinted. "Harry, do you remember when we were in Kirkwall? Madam Stone?"

"You mean that dodgy old prophetess?" Harry said in surprise.

"Don't you remember? She said something about death walking, and those who cheated death were going to pay for it," Aurelius said insistently.

"Did she?" Harry paused, then shrugged. "Come to think of it, she may have. I tend to tune people out the moment they pull that card out of a Tarot deck."

"Perhaps you should have listened," Essie suggested.

"No offense meant, Essie, because I've seen you do some amazing things, but if I paid attention to every person or thing that's predicted my death, I'd have had a nervous breakdown by now," Harry said.

"Understandable, but I hope all of you are taking this curse seriously," Severus said. "Each consequence seems quite personalized, so we're dealing with someone who knows us fairly well. I would like everyone to write down their verses for me, so we can start some sort of analysis. We also need to find anyone else who may have been affected and turned to other sources, or none at all."

"Right, everyone must be accounted for," Jennifer agreed. "This curse was put on all of us at the same time…that means we need to dispel it at the same time."

"And in the same place," Severus nodded.

"I'm sure Alicia is going to love to hear that," Aurelius murmured. Corey nodded at him knowingly.

"We also need to find out who is behind this if we are going to have any hope of stopping the curse before it advances too far," Severus said.

"Wait a moment. Just what exactly is the curse going to do to all of you?" Hermione asked.

"Suffer or die are the choices, that much is clear," Jennifer said. "How that will manifest, only time will tell."

"More than likely, we won't have to wait long to find out," Severus said grimly.

"Pretty place," Andrew commented, his head turning as they walked down the bustling streets of Hong Kong. "Much more sophisticated than I had been expecting, too."

"Can you please keep your mind off girls for just one afternoon?" Aurelius sighed critically, glancing at the paper. "And guard your pockets. I'm sure we stick out like lost tourists."

"Well, aren't we?" Andrew asked, amused.

"Not at all. The gallery should be right down this next street," Aurelius said.

"Cab would have been more fun…"

"We are not here to see the sights!" Aurelius cut him off with exasperation.

"Of course not, Aurelius," Andrew said somberly. "But I hate seeing you worked up like this. May I ask what your curse is?"

"I will be consumed by my burning conscience, whatever that is supposed to mean," Aurelius said, but shook his head. "To be perfectly honest, I'm more worried about everyone else at this point."

"Yeah, I know," Andrew said with a nod, "But I'm not going anywhere…" he paused when he saw something colorful. It was sign made of fabric streamers in front of a building filled with windows. "Well, what do you know? For once, we actually weren't lost."

"Now we just have to find our section of the gallery," Aurelius said in a low voice as they waited to get in.

"Simple enough, we'll just ask," Andrew said, striding in and going straight over to a small, beautiful woman in a prim skirt suit. "Excuse me, but I'm looking for a particular artist. Do you have any works by Alicia Snape?" The woman's expression instantly changed, and she bowed stiffly.

"I am sorry, but we have no artist by that name here. We are an exclusive gallery, and we have very few visiting artists, only the most famous," she said.

"She is one of the most famous," Andrew said with a shrug.

"What sort of paintings are you interested in?" she asked. "I'm sure there's something you would like."

"We're not, really, we're looking for the artist," Andrew said. Aurelius pulled on his sleeve impatiently.

"Well, there's no such person here, sorry…"

"Who might I speak with, you know, to find out for certain?"

"I am quite certain. You are the third person to ask today, and there is no such artist here. I have not even heard of her."

"You must have heard of her, if we were the third person to ask today," Andrew pointed out.

"Andrew, over here?" Aurelius sighed. Andrew looked over to see a man standing right beside the door wearing an elaborate silk owl tie. He seemed to be watching them intently.

"Never mind, thank you…I'll come back for a tour later," Andrew winked as Aurelius dragged him back over to the front door.

"Is there something I can do for you?" the man asked, glancing between them and then settling on Andrew. "I don't know you, but you seem strangely familiar."

"Professor Andrew Snape," Andrew said, and the man's face lit up. "We're looking for my sister's art exhibit?"

"Yes, of course! Right this way. I'm so terribly sorry I didn't catch you on the way in. My name is Boll, sirs, I work for Mr. Tsang, who's in charge of _our_ side of the gallery, if you follow me."  
"We do follow you and we are following you," Andrew agreed, as they stepped behind a thin paper screen with a small sign that read; "Reserved for unfinished exhibit" in both English and Cantonese.

Just beyond was an amazing gallery with high ceilings and mazelike corridors. Paintings curiously peered over at them as they came in, eager to see the ones who might just be their new owners.

"Just ahead, her works are in our main gallery, of course," Boll said with a polite smile. Within a few steps the room opened up into a hexagonal space of white walls, where dozens of Alicia's paintings suddenly broke out in greeting and some even applauded when they walked in. Alicia and Alexandria, who had been sitting in a lunch room nearby, came out when they heard the commotion.

"Rel? Andrew? What are you doing here?" Alicia asked, hugging Aurelius warmly and then Andrew.

"We just thought we'd come and check on you, that's all," Aurelius said. "How has it been going?"

"Lovely, why?" Alicia asked defensively.

"Lovely? I'm bored to tears," Alex sighed.

"What are you doing here, anyhow?" Aurelius asked.

"I thought I'd go along and help out…but nearly everyone here speaks English, and she hasn't sold a painting yet!" Alex said grumpily.

"It only takes one," Alicia shrugged.

"Is that tag for real? How many Galleons?" Andrew asked, nearly choking when he saw the price on the painting of a baby sitting in a bird bath wearing nothing but a diaper and her mother's wide-brimmed hat. Apparently the baby was playing peek-a-boo with the hat, and every now and then disappeared completely. "That's more than I make in a month!"

"That's why it only takes one," Alicia said again.

"In actuality, the price is quite low for someone of her caliber. Mr. Tsang has been trying to convince her to raise them," Boll put in.

"I have a bunch of paintings she did when she was three. Think it's worth anything?" Andrew asked him speculatively.

"Andrew!" Alicia frowned at him.

"In the right market, probably," Boll nodded. "But I must go attend the door in case you have a paying customer, Miss Snape. Pardon me." Alicia smiled and waited until he was out of view before looking at her brothers again.

"So why are you both really here? The two of you don't go anywhere together unless you have no other choice," Alicia asked.

"Trouble at home. Some members of the family and several others we know have been victims of a curse," Aurelius explained.

"A curse? What sort of curse?" Alex asked with alarm.

"A vengeance curse, according to Mum, and a rather nasty one from the sound of it, not that anything's happened yet," Andrew said.

"If it does, I'll let you know," Aurelius said dryly.

"You?" Alex asked in a low voice, glancing around at several people who had wandered into the area to view paintings.

"It strikes people who have had close brushes with death," Aurelius explained. "It starts with a vision or a dream of the Grim Reaper, and a poem. Have either of you witnessed anything like that?"

"No," Alexandria said with a frown. "Although I think I've had some close calls…"

"I doubt they were close enough," Aurelius said. "We're not talking about dodging a spell or getting pulled away from a fall or anything like that. More like incidents where you should have died and didn't. Like what Alicia went through when she was born," he added, gazing over at Alicia, who seemed more interested in a wizard couple gazing at her paintings. "Has anything strange happened to you in the last day or so, Alicia?"

"No, not at all," Alicia said. "Perhaps we're too far away."

"Father and Mum were in New York when it happened, and they were both cursed," Aurelius said, gazing at her intently.

"Well, that's hardly surprising, is it? They were probably the main targets! And frankly, it serves them right," Alicia snapped.

"Does it serve me right, too, Alicia?" Aurelius said with such anger in his voice that Andrew put an arm on his shoulder. "What about Harry and the others? Does it serve them right?"

"Remember where we are," Andrew said calmly, but Alicia ignored him.

"It would hardly be the first time you stuck up for our parents. Why do all of you put yourselves through that? Whoever is behind it, it is assuredly one of Father's enemies, so let _him_ handle it for a change instead of dragging the rest of you in. And if you're here to bring us back, you are wasting your time. I don't care if the entire world is in jeopardy because some random dark wizard or creature has another vendetta against him. I would sooner stay here and be blown into space than ever set my eyes on Father again," Alicia said firmly. "So take your curse somewhere else. I'm not going anywhere until I sell a painting." Boll cleared his throat, and Alicia looked up to see that someone was interested in her 'Owl on a Hot Tin Roof' piece. "Very well, make that two paintings," she muttered, walking over. Alexandria sighed and stepped closer to the others.

"I'm not about to stay here when things aren't right at home, but I should at least stay a couple of days…she's due in New Guinea to do some illustrations for a wizard botanist there," Alexandria explained.

"Well, try and change her mind if you can, and let me know if anything strange happens," Aurelius said in a low voice. Alex nodded solemnly and hugged them both, while Alicia merely gave them a cold side-glance before turning back to her work.

"You said that almost as if you are expecting something strange to happen," Andrew commented as they left.

"I do," Aurelius admitted. "Alicia was lying about the curse. Something did happen to her. I think she only said that because she realized we'd want her to come back with us if she admitted it."

"Well, if she is cursed, we can't really just leave her here, can we? You know what Father said. We can't break the curse unless everyone's together."

"We also can't do it until we find out who's behind it," Aurelius pointed out. "I think it's best we leave it for now, especially since Alex is here to watch her. Once we know for sure, then we'll have to try and take her back by force."

"I was afraid you'd say something like that," Andrew sighed, following him out of the gallery.


	7. Obstacles

VII

Obstacles

Sirius Black strode into the Headmaster's Study to find Severus huddled over his desk, eyes intent on the papers in front of him as he scanned them through dark-rimmed glasses.

"Nose to the grindstone again, eh, Severus?" Sirius said, pushing some of the stuff on the desk away so he could sit on the edge of it. It was moving the candy dish that finally got Severus' attention, a slight flash in his black eyes when he looked up.

"Get off my desk, Sirius, before I remove you from it."

"You know, Severus, you haven't changed as much as you would like everyone to think," Sirius taunted as he stood, leaning on the desk instead. "No amount of fancy enchanted contraptions or a fancy office or even your disturbingly aloof manners will make me forget how much of a wretched pain in the ass you were in school."

"Did you come in here for any particular reason, other than attempting to give me a reason to flatten you?" Severus asked expressionlessly. Sirius simply grinned back at him.

"The Research Library is ready to be tested again…if you ever step foot out of this room, that is."

"I've been working on gathering up all the information we have so far, although I've run into a snag or two," Severus said.

"Yes, I heard from Andrew what happened in Hong Kong. Alicia certainly knows how to hold a grudge, doesn't she? Like father like…"

"I'll be down after lunch to test the door myself," Severus interrupted. "Before we try it on a student or a future student again, I intend to completely inspect it first. Now, if that is all…" Severus turned as if to make a motion to Descartes, but Sirius stopped him.

"There is one other thing, Severus," he said, turning quite serious. "I want to know what sort of suffering this curse plans for you."

"Yes, well, we don't always get what we want. You'll just have to trust that I am quite prepared to handle it…"

"No, I don't," Sirius said, then sighed at the glaring look in Severus' eyes. "Look, I'm quite sure you think you are prepared for anything, but I don't like the fact that you have taken upon yourself to organize this search for the curser and the curse's subsequent removals when you are infected with it just like we are. Perhaps you should leave this one to the Ministry."

"Thomas and Draco are already aware of it, Sirius, but I'm hardly going to sit by and do nothing when more than half of my family and friends have been hit with this thing. Oh. And you."

"Thanks," Sirius said dryly. "That doesn't change the fact that someone ought to know what yours does."

"Jennifer knows, that will be sufficient. Now, if you don't mind? I'd like to settle a few things before I come downstairs. I need to formalize some paperwork for some new elective classes for this week's board meeting since Hermione needs to start on scheduling by the end of the week."

"Long as you have your priorities straight, Severus," Sirius said, bowing mockingly and walking out of the room. Severus sat back then with a sigh, taking off his glasses and kneading the intense headache that had swept over him.

When Corey and Ambrose arrived at the back of the library, Sirius, Jennifer and Severus were all standing beside the door, talking quietly. They stopped short when they came closer, and Jennifer smiled warmly at them.

"Here we are," Corey said.

"Just in time, too," Sirius said with a grin. "Boulderdash has been just aching to start setting this place up, but Severus insists he wants it completely tested before he begins."

"Sure it's going to work this time?" Corey grinned.

"No, but I admit I had trouble getting past the security myself…although I did get in, eventually…"

"By cheating," Sirius glared at Severus.

"Well, I didn't get past it," Jennifer interrupted. "Care to try yourself, Corey?" Corey thought about it a moment and then smiled. Jennifer smiled back enigmatically when she saw what he was going to try.

"All right," Corey said, taking out his potion wallet and walked up to the door, standing with his toes touching it as he fished the phial out he wanted and drank it down.

Ambrose watched in amazement as Corey became incorporeal and tried to jump through…but as he jumped, he smacked up against another force that propelled him back through the bookshelves behind him. Hurriedly, he pulled his legs out of the wooden shelf just seconds before the potion returned him to normal. Icarus Ravenclaw, who was peering through the wall Corey had failed to go into, fell backwards and into a rare and disturbing round of laughter.

"When Sirius finished rigging the walls to keep both us and Fae from Apparating in, I asked Sirius to make certain that ghosts on staff could still enter…but any ethereal beings not interned in the castle could not," Severus said calmly.

"Okay, I'm convinced," Corey chuckled. "You thought of everything."

"That still remains to be seen," Severus said, looking over at Ambrose. "Very well, Ambrose, what will it be this time? A new training broom, perhaps?"

"No," Ambrose said. "I want to learn how to use my wand."

"Now, how did I know that was coming?" Sirius asked in amusement.

"Ambrose, have I or have I not told you that you can not learn to use a wand until you start at Hogwarts?" Severus said with a frown.

"Well, then perhaps you should let me just go to Hogwarts early then," Ambrose said with a grin.

"Impossible," Severus snapped.

"No, it isn't. I asked Hermione if anybody had been let into Hogwarts early before, and she said yes, but it was over two hundred years ago and it was a special case. Well, from what my teacher's say, I am a special case," Ambrose said.

"Remind me to have a few words with Hermione, Jennifer," Severus said wearily. Jennifer had a hard time keeping a straight face. "And remind me also to have a few words with Ambrose's teacher about playing to his ego. You need to learn a bit of humility, Ambrose Bailey."

"You know, though, Severus," Sirius began, and Severus already knew he wasn't going to like what he was about to hear. "It would really motivate him to get in… a truly honest attempt. I think you ought to let him go for it. I mean, if he finds a way to do something that the reportedly most powerful wizard on the planet can't do without cheating…"

"There's no cheating, only in or out. I got in," Severus said.

"All right, all right, but Jennifer didn't, nor did Corey, nor did I and I made the thing. If that child can manage to do what wizards of our caliber couldn't do, then he deserves to enter Hogwarts early," Sirius finished.

"I wouldn't put too much stock in your caliber if I were you…"

"Are you questioning mine, then, Severus?" Jennifer challenged him. Severus had such a sheepish look on his face that Ambrose giggled. Corey pinched his arm.

"Fine! If he gets in, and his mother approves, I will petition his case to be examined by the board and put to an entry test. But whether he passes that or not is up to him, fair enough?" Severus said, daring anyone to push their luck any further.

"Yes, Godfather!" Ambrose said brightly. "Can I try now?" Severus suddenly put an arm out and backed Jennifer further away from the door, ignoring the dirty look she gave him in return. Sirius, remembering what happened the last time they did this, took a healthy step backward himself, as did Corey, taking their cue from the others.

But as Ambrose concentrated on the door and called up a blast of energy, nothing happened. He stared at it in surprise for a moment and raised his hands again, conjuring spheres, cubes and cones of energy and pelting them at the door, Sirius' eyes growing wide at the techniques the youngster was using. When those didn't work, Ambrose pulled up his sleeves in frustration, letting one more trick go as he took out a giant hole and threw it against the door. But the hole merely smacked against it and slid down its face and made a hole on the floor instead.

"Wait a minute, that's _my_ hole!" Corey said, putting his hands on his hips. "I was looking for that last week when I wanted to fix the plumbing."

"You all told me to use all available resources, Godfather," Ambrose said glumly. "I just thought if nothing else worked, that would."

"It was a good try, Ambrose," Jennifer assured him, gazing at Sirius and Severus who were inspecting the door. "Don't worry, four years isn't as long as it may seem to you right now."

"Four years is more than half my life! Of course it's long!" Ambrose said. Corey carefully picked his hole up by the edge and then folded it and put it in his pocket.

"Well, Severus? Satisfied?" Sirius asked.

"It'll do," Severus said expressionlessly.

"I'm completely overjoyed by your energetic enthusiasm," Sirius said sarcastically.

"Do I at least get some sort of consolation prize?" Ambrose asked glumly.

"Come on, little brother, I'll get you something at Honeydukes," Corey said, patting his shoulder.

"One moment, Corey," Severus said, pulling him to the side. Ambrose watched them curiously, but as much as he strained, he couldn't tell what they were saying.

"Ambrose?" Jennifer called out a second time.

"Hm, what?" Ambrose said, looking around. Sirius chuckled and shook his head, grabbing a stack of books and taking them into the back room.

"I asked you if you had a nice summer," Jennifer repeated. "I haven't seen you for a month and you've grown like a weed. I suppose you've been spending it with your nieces and nephew?"

"Uh huh," Ambrose said distractedly. "Can I ask you something, though?"

"Well, you can ask, although I don't know if I can answer," Jennifer said.

"How come Godfather went to bring you back here? Are you going to die too?" Ambrose asked. Jennifer put down the book in her hand and stared at him.

"Who told you anyone was going to die?"

"Well, no one. I just saw it in that mirror thing in there, last time I was here…" he said, pointing inside the door.

"Come here, Ambrose…over to the table, let's sit down," Jennifer said, glancing at Severus who was still in a discussion with Corey. "The device in there is a rather…well, it's a sort of experimental magical item that Severus has been tinkering with lately. It's made from a certain crystal that forms in only one place in this entire universe. In fact, the mineral it's made of really isn't of this universe at all but of the Otherworld, Tir Na Nog. It seeped into this world through the tiniest gap of an old gateway that had been cracked ajar over a thousand years. Because of those properties, it doesn't always reflect the world in the same way that we see it, since it comes from a world where thought is more powerful than matter. See what I mean?" Ambrose nodded his head.

"Not really," he said.

"Hm, well I suppose the concept is a bit much for someone your age, even with your intelligence," Jennifer said. "The crystal wasn't showing you actual images so much as it was showing you ideas and metaphors…symbols and pictures to relay a message or state of being."

"So what was it trying to say?"

"It was a warning about a curse, a rather nasty one that's affected quite a number of people right now. But that is nothing for you to worry about. Your godfather is working on it, and I'm sure it'll be cleared up and no one is going to die. It'd take more than a curse to take anyone in this family down. Trust me, I speak from experience," Jennifer said dryly. Ambrose began to chuckle but then grew somber.

"So you're cursed right now? You don't look cursed. Who else is cursed? Am I cursed?"

"No, you are not cursed," Jennifer said, standing back up. "And you don't have to worry about Severus, or Corey or myself or anyone else, because Severus will find out who caused it and fix it."

"Well as long as he's going to fix it, I guess it'll be all right," Ambrose reasoned, getting up and walking over with her to Corey and Severus. "I'm ready for my candy now," he announced, then paused. "Wait…are curses contagious?" he asked Jennifer. Jennifer immediately felt Severus and Corey's eyes on her and she cleared her throat.

"Not this kind, Ambrose," Jennifer said, knowing in just a single glance at Severus that she was going to hear about this later.

"Good, then I really am ready," Ambrose said.

"I'll uh…try to sort it out on the way back. Thanks, Mom," Corey said sarcastically. "Don't let her off the hook, Dad."

"Certainly not," Severus said. "See you this weekend." Jennifer watched Corey and Ambrose leave, refusing to look at Severus despite the fact his eyes were boring into her. "And just what did he say, might I ask, that compelled you to tell him about that?"

"Well…Severus, he asked if we were going to die…"

"A simple 'no' would have been sufficient…"

"A simple 'no' isn't always sufficient, Severus," Jennifer suddenly snapped. "It's not sufficient when dealing with a family crisis, and it's not sufficient when dealing with a young girl's future either," she said, then stomped out of the library. Severus stared after her for a long time and then caught Sirius' sleeve on his way past.

"Do they all do that?" Severus asked.

"Does all who do what?" Sirius asked.

"Every time I attempt to comment on something Jennifer does, no matter how much it deserves comment, I somehow end up becoming the criminal before the end of the conversation!"

"Well, you are a criminal, Severus," Sirius grinned. "But yep, they all do that," he added, picking up another stack of books and heading in. Frowning with annoyance, Severus followed behind him.


	8. Family Strife

VIII

Family Strife

Ambrose was staring so intently at Corey as they walked that finally Corey let out a long sigh.

"What is it, Ambrose? Why are you looking at me like that?" he asked.

"I'm waiting," Ambrose said.

"Waiting for what?"

"For something to happen to you. I've never seen anyone who's been cursed before," Ambrose said.

"Yes you have. You've cursed your nieces and nephews a lot of times, whether you realize it or not," Corey said dryly.

"But those are different. They happen right away. If this is a curse, why doesn't it do something?" Ambrose asked.

"Complex curses take some time to manifest, especially when it's against a large group of people, Ambrose. And it is just as well. Hopefully it'll give Dad enough time to find out who is responsible before anyone gets hurt."

"He's brilliant isn't he? He's the best Godfather anyone could ever have!" Ambrose declared, Corey smiling slightly in amusement.

"Well, perhaps one of them. Just remember not to brag about it when you get to do get to Hogwarts. It will cause more trouble for you than it'll get you out of," he advised.

"I'm never going to Hogwarts at this rate. That's what Rose always says, too," Ambrose sighed. "I just don't see why he won't just teach me how to use my wand on the weekends or something." Corey laughed outright. "What?"

"Only that I didn't want to have anything to do with a wand myself. I found it restrictive, and I think you would too. Besides, he didn't even teach any of his own children how to use a wand before Hogwarts, despite how they pleaded."

"Oh, well, I suppose it wouldn't be fair if I did then, would it," Ambrose reasoned. "Especially since he might be my father someday too, you know…being my godfather and all..."

Ambrose never forgot how Corey's face seemed to turn to paste as he said that and stood as still as stone; a look of horror buried in his eyes so deep that Ambrose himself became paralyzed by the dramatic change. He had never seen Corey like that before; nor would he ever forget that moment. For Corey suddenly pounced him like a savage beast, grabbing the boy and dragging him into the house. Not a word came from Ambrose, although Rose and the other children cried out in surprise as Corey pulled him into the kitchen and got a hold of the soap.

Gasping at Corey's rage, Rose turned and told Natalie to get the others upstairs to get them out of the way, for Charles was standing terrified in the kitchen door. Finally, Corey let Ambrose go so the boy could futilely attempt to get the suds out of his mouth, but ended up simply burping up bubbles from the magic soap every time he attempted to speak.

"You are on dangerous ground with me, Ambrose Bailey," Corey said, his voice still laced with anger. "And for once in your life, you are going to do exactly as I say. You will never speak about having any other parents again, to anyone. You will not think about it, you will not dream about it, and for God's sake if I ever hear you wish it, you will soon wish you had never said it!"

"Oh, Corey," Rose murmured, realizing what had happened. "He's only seven…"

"And I was only twelve!" he snapped at her then turned back to Ambrose. "He is an egotistical, spoiled, selfish child who knows nothing but his own wants without any consideration to anyone else! You will learn to be grateful for the family you have, Ambrose. Especially your mother, who has done everything in her power to be good to you, not that you deserve it! Now, get out of my house, and don't bother returning here until you have thought about the consequences of your actions! Get out!" he shouted again. With another round of bubbles coming out of his mouth, Ambrose scurried around and ran out the kitchen door.

Corey tossed the soap in the sink and leaned against it, shaking his head. As he began to cool down, he noticed the house was extremely quiet.

"I suppose you think I was too hard on him," he said, knowing that Rose was still behind him. "Well, I'm not going to let him say such things and find himself regretting it for the rest of his life," Corey said. "I may have gotten a bit overworked, but I had to make him understand it was not acceptable to think such things!"

"I'm not going to stand here and judge you, Corey," Rose said quietly. "Especially since you're already beginning to try and judge yourself." She turned then and went to check on the children, leaving Corey alone with his thoughts.

Alexandria couldn't help but to gape when she and Alicia arrived at the port station, for they had stepped into a vine-covered gazebo in the center of a large domed conservatory.

"Well! I suppose I have my work cut out for me!" Alicia exclaimed, admiring a butterfly of unusual size that lazily floated past them on its way to a bed of giant white flowers.

"Ah! Visitors!" An elderly wizard stood up from behind a row of ferns with loam encrusted pads on his knees and heavy gloves up to his elbows. His thin hair was snowy white, and he had a kind, attentive face, from what they could tell behind the set of thick glasses upon his narrow, crooked nose. "And if I'm not mistaken, expected ones. Might one of you be my new illustrator?"

"Alicia Snape, sir," Alicia said with a smile, and the man scrambled up to meet her, offering his gloved hand. "And you must be Professor Laeo."

"I am indeed! You are younger than I expected, dear witch, but well met. And who is this?"

"My sister, Alexandria, from the International Affairs Ministry," Alicia said.

"I'm just accompanying my sister to make sure she gets well settled," Alexandria explained.

"Ah, I see! How wonderful it must be to have such a close family!" Laeo said wistfully, Alicia smiling stiffly at him in return. "I haven't seen or spoken to any of my relatives for years. Just as well, I can be a bit of a bore, you know, I tend not to shut up about my plants. Ah, but I hope I'm not discouraging you from staying."

"Not at all, We've been inundated with magical plants studies since we were old enough to put out weeds, and honestly your offer was more than generous for the light work involved," Alicia admitted.

"When I pay the best I get the best," Laeo said proudly. "And I warn you now I'm quite a perfectionist."

"Yes, I'm used to that too," Alicia said dryly, ignoring the glance from her sister.

"Then I think we shall get on well enough!" Laeo said pleased. "Come, let me show you to your room…I'm afraid my elves are too disposed with gardening to do much else here, so I hope you can fend for yourself in the kitchens…ah, but even so, you must stay for dinner, Alexandria, for I am curious to how things are back in Britain."

"I really ought to get back," Alexandria protested.

"Well, tea at least," Laeo insisted. "Now it's just up these stairs and to the right, just make yourself comfortable while I finish up my planting, and attempt to remember where I put my kettle, there we are!" he said. The two girls did have some trouble navigating the spiral stairs, for a thorny vine rose had taken over the railing, making it almost impossible to actually rely on without getting pricked in the hand.

"He seems nice enough," Alex said when they stepped into the room. Wooden furniture and plant boxes seemed to be the theme of the guest bedroom, not to mention the entire house, but Alicia was grateful to see that a cooling blue crystal fire had already been lit to refresh the room to make it less hot and sticky.

"A bit absent-minded," Alicia said with a smile as she threw her suitcase on the bed. "I think this will be a nice relaxing job for a change! I could use the break from all those faces."

"I wouldn't mind spending some time here myself under other circumstances," Alex admitted, looking out the balcony door at the gardens for a moment before turning to her. "Are you sure you're going to be all right here on your own?"

"Honestly! Why wouldn't I be? It seems I'm going to have it easy enough here, and I hardly see any threat in that old botanist. I may even learn something new about plants and things I can write to Rose about…"

"I didn't exactly mean that," Alex said. "I meant about that curse going around…"

"Oh, please don't start talking about that again! How you do go on about such things, Alex!" Alicia protested. "I told you before that I'm fine."

"Well, if anything wrong did happen, you would have enough sense to come home, wouldn't you?" Alex asked.

"I don't have a home, Alexandria," Alicia said. "And to perfectly honest, that suits me just fine. I'm happy with my life as it is."

"Now that much I do know is not the truth," Alexandria said. Alicia merely sighed and continued to put away her things. "All right, Alicia, have it your way. But for your own sake I do think you really ought to get over this grudge of yours and come home…whether you want to acknowledge you have one or not."

"Don't you ever shut up?" Alicia snapped at her, taking out a toilet bag and heading to the bathroom, shutting the door behind her. She leaned against the door then and began to rub her aching eyes, wishing she would just leave already.


	9. Disappearance

_Glad to see you're all around, was feeling that some folks missed the fact I snuck in a new story g> Thanks for the reviews, here's another chapter for you. JCWriter_

IX

Disappearance

Aurelius leaned tiredly on the back wall of the Enforcer office as his grandfather finished signing his paperwork.

"A nice bit of work as usual, Rel," Thomas said, glancing over the arrest forms. "Gave you some trouble, did he?"

"Not really. Rather easy catch actually, thanks to Tonks unintentionally distracting him at the right moment," Aurelius shrugged. "I was able to relieve him of his wand before he cast anything."

"Oh? Where did you get the burn, then?" Thomas asked curiously. Aurelius stared at him in confusion. "You look like you took a blast of Blinding Rays on your face." Frowning, Aurelius grabbed a mirror out and looked at himself curiously.

"I must have gotten a sunburn on the way over the loch," Aurelius mused. "Could have sworn I had put a potion on though."

"Knowing you, you didn't," Thomas chided him. "You get yourself too obsessed over your cases, Aurelius. There is such a thing as too much focus, in fact, it'll likely get you killed someday if you're not careful."

"I doubt a simple sunburn is going to kill me," Aurelius said, getting out his potion wallet for a salve.

"No, but not being aware of your surroundings will," he said, watching as Aurelius began shuffling through the wanted list. "When is Harry heading to Kirkwall?"

"He was waiting until tonight, because he wants to take Essie along to check this Prophetess out," he explained.

"Probably not a bad idea. If she is for real, perhaps Essie will notice something you both didn't. And if she isn't for real…and the more I think on it, the more I think she isn't…we may have some solid lead on who's behind this."  
"I don't think she's real either," Aurelius agreed. "Have any others complained about this curse?" Just then there was a swift knock on the door and Bosworth came in.

"Rose Willowby is here, sir, to see Aurelius on a family matter," he began, but then got cut off as Rose pushed her way past him.

"It's more than a family matter!" Rose snapped. "Rel, Ambrose has disappeared. Mum says he's been gone all day. It's possible he ran away."

"Why would he do that?" Aurelius frowned.

"Oh, it's a long story, and I'd rather not get into it right now! Corey is out looking for him by broom, but we could really use someone to check the Forest who knows it well…"

"Right," Aurelius said with a nod, grabbing his cloak.

"If he's run away, I'm sure he'll come back eventually," Thomas said unconcernedly. "A boy that age won't get far without turning for home."

"He's not a normal boy his age," Rose pointed out.

"Rose is right. You may want to send some backup out that way, in case it he didn't leave on his own power," Aurelius said.

"I can take care of that for you, sir," Bosworth volunteered.

"No, perhaps I will go myself this time," Thomas said, standing up. "As you say, it would appear to be something of a family matter, if not indirectly. Shall we? Adler, stay here and play Minister for a while." Adler quickly agreed as they hurried out of the room, soon making himself comfortable behind the Minister's desk.

Corey had no sooner found out from Ashley that Ambrose was missing that he acted. He sent up a flare for his friends, sent Rose to the Ministry, and then took to his broom, leaving Ashley to watch over the kids. Why did that boy have to be so difficult? Corey was quite annoyed with the entire situation, mostly because Ambrose had done such a foolish thing, but also in some small part because he might have handled his behavior a few days ago differently had he allowed himself time to calm down first.

The vegetation in the Forest was dense this time of year, but Corey knew others were better suited than he to search on the ground there. As he got to the Centaur Glen, Corey veered higher up so he could look at the entire expanse of the open area. The centaur's summer camp was still in the glen, so Corey decided that he should head over and have a few words with him.

But as he made the simple turn around, a strange sensation hit him. His head began to spin and he found himself feeling as if he were falling. He leaned over and desperately hugged his broom, closing his eyes to try and calm his head. Had his head been a little clearer, he might have realized the handle of the broom had dipped down a bit…but his heart was thumping and his head was pulsing and the ground came up on him before he dared open his eyes. He wouldn't open them for quite some time.

When he did open them, he realized he ached all over…his head and right arm most of all. Slowly he opened his eyes and saw a silhouette in front of him but couldn't tell who, and what he was trying to say was lost in a deep groan.

"Don't try to talk yet," Severus advised him. "You're lucky to be alive right now after that fall." The shadow backed away and Corey noticed another leaning over him and a cup held to his lips. He drank just a sip before he started choking, but Sagittari seemed satisfied that he got enough in him, nonetheless.

"Thought…didn't believe…luck," Corey murmured.

"Yes, well, I don't, but you seem to be tempting me to believe otherwise with that last stunt. You might have broken your neck then and there, and even I couldn't have done anything," Severus scolded him.

"Headmaster, please, if you don't behave yourself, I will have to ask you to leave," Sagittari advised him.

"Sorry," Severus muttered. "But this is not the first time he's gone head over broom."

"Ambrose?" Corey rasped.

"Still missing, but Aurelius and the others are all looking for him. I'm not totally convinced he hasn't snuck off to find a friend or something. I don't think he's in any danger at the moment, although in retrospect I should have made certain Ashley had some way to locate him in case he tried something like this. But concern yourself with your own recovery. We'll speak tomorrow about what happened to you," Severus said, getting up. Corey wasn't really in any position to argue, and he simply nodded, still have trouble focusing on what is going on around him. Severus had a quick word with Sagittari before stepping out to find Jennifer and Rose both there.

"Corey?" Rose asked.

"He's not entirely conscious, but the Doctor said you may go in and see him before he potions him to sleep again," Severus said, and Rose nodded in thanks, slipping in the door. Jennifer gazed at him questioningly. "He'll live. You know he has the hardest skull anyone could ask for, although I hope he never risks a third fracture, the outcome from that would be grim, I think. Now, don't worry. I gave him a full dose."

"Any idea what caused him to crash like that?"

"He wasn't aware enough to ask, and there wasn't enough left of the broom to truly tell if it was at fault or if it were something else," Severus said quietly, glancing at the open doorway. "I really ought to make some attempt at learning Ambrose's whereabouts now that he's somewhat stable. I am going to go attempt to use the Mirrors again."

"Oh, Severus. They've been so unreliable so far," Jennifer sighed.

"Yes, I know, but this is Ambrose we're talking about. If anything can locate the son of… well, _him_, a crystal from that cave can. Now, why don't you go get settled in and I'll meet you upstairs," he suggested.

Jennifer nodded and walked slowly towards the main stair, feeling a bit strange. What could have possibly made Corey fall like that? And where could Ambrose be?

Completely convinced that she wasn't about to get to sleep on her own, Jennifer made her way to Severus' sitting room, knowing he usually left a half-finished Subtle Slumber waiting to be heated up. He still wouldn't tell her what was in it, but at least he let her do that much. But when she stepped in his room, she felt an eerie feeling that she couldn't explain. It wasn't as tidy as usual; but of course, it had been hectic lately. His Pensieve sat out on the table, and all sorts of papers were strewn on the desk…some filled with puzzling scribbles that Jennifer couldn't really decipher. As she gazed at them in attempts to figure out their purpose, an acrid smell came into the room, and Jennifer realized the potion resting in the small lab in his room wasn't Subtle Slumber at all.

After a few quick tests, Jennifer realized it was a very potent headache draught, and she recalled how often she had seen Severus rubbing his head lately, often accompanied by a strange expression that she couldn't quite read…an echo, she decided, like the echo of a memory. And as much as part of her knew that it had something to do with a curse, another larger part of herself wanting nothing more than to explain it away.


	10. Symptoms

X

Symptoms

_I should get up._

_Why bother? The moment you do, you won't have another moment's peace. Brats that won't stay where they are supposed to, a curse that you still haven't narrowed down a cause, not to mention all the headaches coming up with the governor's board and getting ready for the school year. Let someone else deal with it for a change, you are getting to old for this sort of thing._

"Rubbish," Severus murmured. Realizing he had spoken out loud, Severus slowly opened his eyes and scowled at the blinding light daring to beam through the open window above him. It also didn't help that it was raining lightly, and some of it was seeping in, dampening the rugs and even his blankets. He sat up then and realized that all the windows were open. Jennifer was nowhere to be seen.

Severus waved the windows shut and got up, opening the door of her sitting room to find her sleeping on the couch looking quite uncomfortable. Sighing silently, Severus began closing the windows in there as well, but as they snapped shut, Jennifer's eyes opened.

"Kicking or snoring?" Severus inquired.

"Nightmare," Jennifer admitted.

"That would have been my third choice," Severus said. "Worried about Corey and Ambrose?"

"No…well, yes of course, but that wasn't really what the nightmare was about," Jennifer said, slowly sitting up. "It was about the night Voldemort died, when Harry and I were still buried…I dreamt that Harry died in there. The spell he had cast beforehand was dissipating, and I remember thinking that there was no way I could manage to get a Patronus up above the surface on my own, and that no one would ever find me."

"As if I would ever stop looking," Severus snorted.

"But Severus, you had stopped," Jennifer reminded him quietly. "You thought I was dead." Jennifer didn't miss the range of emotions and memories behind Severus' surprised expression, despite the fact he recovered quite quickly.

"Logic and circumstances being as they were, one couldn't hardly help but believe the worst. Of course, times have changed. Dumbledore made sure that being more optimistic was in my contract when I accepted this position," he said dryly. Jennifer couldn't help but grin at him at that. "You really need to get up, there is too much to be done. Perhaps some breakfast? Tea, or coffee?"

"Oh, I can't possibly drink the coffee here after being spoiled so at Kingler's," Jennifer admitted. "I wonder how Lucky is doing?" Severus got up quickly then and hurried over to the breakfast tray, his back turned to her. Jennifer squinted. She had seen him do that hundreds of times before. "All right, Severus, what are you hiding? Why were you in such a hurry to keep me from seeing your face?"

"Perhaps I was simply attempting to get your tea," Severus suggested calmly.

"If you were, you wouldn't start with the word, 'perhaps,'" Jennifer said. "There's something going on with Lucky you don't want me to know about, isn't there?"

"If you must know, Fortuna's troubled record is keeping her out of any hopes of magic school, Jennifer," Severus said. "Scone?"

"That poor girl," Jennifer said, shaking her head. "Isn't there anything you can do? Surely you haven't tried everything…"  
"What makes you think I've had the time for such a thing, what with everything going on? Raisin, pumpkin, or plain?"

"Really, Severus! How can you think of eating anything right now?" Jennifer said with exasperation and was ready to lay into him when there was a knock on his sitting room door. "Well, who do you suppose is in the Headmaster's Study?"

"Considering how many bad guesses I've already made this morning, I won't bother to hazard another," Severus said, sitting the tray back down to answer the door. "Hermione? What are you doing here?"

"Schedules, of course," Hermione said, gazing at Severus oddly. "I have to get them done before the rest of the staff arrives next week. I hope you haven't forgotten about the board meeting coming up as well? It's in your appointment book," she added, pointing the quill in her hand behind her towards the large book on his desk.

"No, I have not forgotten, precisely," Severus said defensively. "But I'm sure you know that I have had a bit on my mind."

"I know," Hermione said, sounding a little more apologetic. "Mrs. Bailey wants to see you. She is in the hospital wing visiting Corey at the moment. Doctor Sagittari thinks you should come down as well."

"We'll be right down then," Severus nodded. "I'll be in to speak with you after lunch."

"Take your time, I have lots to catch up on," Hermione said briskly. "In fact, I should get on it. I'll be in my office if you need me. Excuse me."

As Hermione turned and went back through the Headmaster's Study and down the spiral stairs, Severus closed to the door with a sigh, looking over his shoulder. Jennifer had already gone into the bedroom to pull herself together. Severus reluctantly did the same, then the two of them left by way of Jennifer's sitting room door, which like the actual rooms themselves was still connected to the fifth floor; only the door to Severus' sitting room had been changed for convenience.

Corey was sitting up on a pile of pillows when they arrived, looking very tired but much more alert, a wan smile on his face when they came in. Ashley, who had been sitting beside him, got up quickly when Severus and Jennifer came in.

"You have some news?" Jennifer asked when Ashley came over.

"Yes, although I'm not sure exactly how helpful it is," Ashley said, pulling out a note and handing it out to Severus. "I found this near the door this morning."

"'Dear Mum, please don't try to worry. I need some time to sort things out on my own. I will write to let you know I'm all right. Ambrose,'" Severus read out loud, glancing at Jennifer.

"Sort things out on his own? But he's only seven!" Jennifer murmured.

"Only part of him is seven, Jennifer," Ashley said with a sigh. "You know as well as I do his mind is far beyond that. His father first left home when he was three."

"All the same, he's still more human than not, and he's much to young to be on his own. He needs guidance now more than ever," Jennifer said.

"Guidance that I can't give him," Ashley sighed. "I can give him a mother's love, Jennifer, a firm hand and a sense of morality, but I'm afraid I've failed miserably in what he really needs. To be perfectly honest, it's been troubling me so much that I have wondered about perhaps getting married again."

"Oh, Ashley. I understand why you're concerned, but it's certainly no basis for marriage," Jennifer said, shaking her head. "I'd think it'd cause more problems than it would solve."

"Perhaps it's just not knowing the truth that is plaguing him," Ashley said, glancing at Severus again. "He knows he's different than the others, and he doesn't know why…"

"The fact that he is irresponsible enough to do something like this, not to mention put himself in danger and worry those who care about him, is proof enough to me that he is not yet mature enough to know the truth," Severus said firmly, folding the note and tapping it thoughtfully. "I'd like to borrow this, if you don't mind. I'll use my resources to see if I can't track down the owl who sent it. I believe we will most likely find him with a friend."

"He doesn't have many, I'm afraid. He doesn't have much in common with many children in the Hogsmeade school," Ashley said, "and I've already contacted all of their parents."

"I'm sure he's all right," Jennifer said. "After all, he did write."

"That is true," Ashley said quietly. "I only wish that…" she faltered then, but Jennifer nodded in understanding and hugged her.

"Don't be so hard on yourself, Ashley, you have been nothing if not a good mother. I'm sure when he gets older and sees more clearly, he'll come to see that as well," Jennifer reassured her.

"If only he had been a girl, perhaps he wouldn't have rebelled so," Ashley said. "He's his father's son in so many ways."

"Was there any question that he would be?" Severus said so bluntly that Jennifer gave him a dirty look. "I'm sorry, Jennifer, but she did know what she was getting into."

"Perhaps I did," Ashley admitted after a moment. "But that doesn't make it any easier now. I think I'd better return and see if there's any more news. Take care, Corey. I'll send Rose along now," she said, raising her voice so he could hear.

"Tell her my head is as hard as ever," Corey said tiredly.

"I don't doubt it," Ashley said with a smile, taking her leave.

"That was quite harsh, Severus," Jennifer whispered after she left. "Where did that come from?"

"It is the truth, isn't it? What the boy is going through is partially her fault, after all," Severus said. Jennifer raised an eyebrow at him, but Severus ignored it, going over to Corey's bedside instead. "I see you are still with us."

"Well, I hardly wanted to leave a stupid accident like that on Ambrose, especially since his leaving is probably my doing," Corey admitted as Severus sat down. "I'm afraid I was rather hard on him the other day. Much more than common for me. It may have started this, to be frank."

"The boy will turn up. What caused the accident?" Severus asked. Jennifer came up and sat down beside them.

"I…well, I felt strange, to be honest. I found myself clinging to the broom while the entire world spun around me and I couldn't tell which end was up, or even which way the broom was facing. I tried to right it, but it only made it worse…"

"Vertigo," Severus interrupted.

"Vertigo? Isn't that just some name they put on people with a fear of heights?"

"No, it's a real phenomenon…a step above common dizziness, to be sure, but…do you remember ever in your youth feeling a sense of movement while in a high place, perhaps having to sit down until your head righted itself?"

"Dad, you're talking to a person who spent his entire life standing toe-to-toe on rugged cliff tops looking downwards while my older brother had heart-attacks every time he caught me doing it," Corey chuckled at the memory.

"Yes, but I am quite sure that is what happened," Severus said. "Think of the poem you were given, Corey."

"So it's the curse?" Corey said blankly. "So the curse is giving me some sort of fear of heights?"

"Or flying, it would seem," Severus agreed.

"A curse can't really inspire a fear that has never existed before, can it?" Corey asked.

"Corey, you have had a couple of close calls while on a broom, not only that Bludger, but also that flight after you got hit with that Goblin knife," Jennifer pointed out. "I'm sure it's those events the curse is pulling on to cause this."

"So who else is starting to feel the effects of this thing?" Corey asked after a moment.

"I would say everyone is beginning to," Severus said, "although it seems that yours at least is quite manageable. All you have to do to avoid yours is to stop flying."

"Stop flying?" Corey repeated, then shook his head. "What if there's an emergency? What if my friends call?"

"Then you'll either have to Apparate or bow out. I'll inform Danyelle of the situation," Severus said, standing. "It seems you are fortunate that it's something that you can easily avoid and not something you have to constantly fight. It'll be an advantage in the days ahead."

"Why? Is yours not so easy to avoid?" Corey frowned.

"No, but quite controllable," Severus said, waving it away. Corey didn't miss the look that crossed Jennifer's face. "Right now, concern yourself with your recovery. You, at least, have a condition that you can live with if necessary. I am not so certain everyone else has." It was then that he noticed that Aurelius was standing by the door and found himself gazing speculatively at him. Jennifer, however, couldn't contain herself, crying out in surprise.

"My goodness, Aurelius! Your skin is so red! Have you been out in the sun somewhere?" she asked.

"No, not at all, thank you," he said. "But do you have anything for severe burns, all the same? Preferably something to stop blistering in uncomfortable places…"

"I'll get it, Jennifer, why don't you wait here with Corey?" Severus suggested and got up. Corey waited until they left before turning to Jennifer again.

"He is all right, isn't he?" he asked.

"For the moment at least," Jennifer assured him, but Corey didn't look too reassured. "Trust me, if anything does happen, I will be the first to know."


	11. Clues and Conflicts

XI

Clues and Conflicts

"So when did this all start?" Severus asked as they walked up the hall.

"A couple of days ago, I guess. Andrew noticed it before I did," Aurelius said. "But I certainly notice it now. In fact, Grandfather insisted I go to St. Mungo's to have it looked at."

"And?"

"They decided to call in a specialist on strange magical anomalies," Aurelius said disapprovingly. "I don't have to tell you who they brought in."

"Morfinn Bliant?"

"Yes, and you won't believe what he said."

"That it's all in your mind," Severus said calmly.

"That it's all in my mind! As if _he_ had any room to talk, straight out of Whitebridge and all dolled up like a doctor when I remember him ruddy, snot-nosed and always making up his own…wait a minute," Aurelius said, cutting off his own ranting. "How did you know that is what he said?"

"Oh, no reason, except perhaps he is right in this case," Severus said, nodding him up the spiral stairs.

"I am not doing this," Aurelius said flatly as he walked into the study.

"Don't be so sure," Severus said. "From what I have seen thus far, this curse seems to seek out internal enemies of ours that manifest themselves in times of crisis or near death experiences…Corey, a fear of failing to save others in danger, has been comprised by a fear of getting on a broom again…your mother, a loss of independence, which honestly has plagued her ever since I have known her…while I face a fear of losing control over my own reasoning. The burning sensation is merely a nasty symptom of what lies underneath, Aurelius, the true cause lies deeper." Severus pulled out a locked box from his desk, turning it with a carved bone key. "Any idea what you were thinking about any times that the burn got worse?"

"No, not really, it's been quite gradual," Aurelius murmured, gazing at the curious phial that Severus took out of the box. It almost seemed like a normal crystal container with a stopper…almost. But Aurelius found that he couldn't get the phial into focus, no matter how he squinted or how long he concentrated on it. Inside was a clear liquid that practically seemed to glow when disturbed by Severus' movements.

"Then the cause is probably some deep emotion or fear within you. Here, drink this."

"What is it?" Aurelius asked suspiciously.

"Don't ask, just drink it," Severus ordered.

"Fine, but it goes against everything you've drilled into me about drinking something when I don't know what it is," Aurelius reminded him, but Severus pushed it at him again.

Sighing, Aurelius took and downed the potion, immediately feeling a shockwave go through him so severe he checked his balance and sat down. But as he shakily slipped into the chair, he immediately noticed a change…it didn't hurt when he moved. He blinked and checked his skin, which had turned back to its original color.

"Hm, you still have some redness on your face, Aurelius. It was just a tad longer than three days," Severus said, locking the box and putting it away.

"What was it that you gave me?" Aurelius demanded.

"A quantum-induced time-instanced third-degree corporeal reversal potion…you may have heard of it referred to as a 'Three Day Pass,'" Severus said. "It reset your body back to its physical condition three days ago."

"But those are illegal!" Aurelius gaped.

"Only if you willingly take it," Severus said calmly. "You were not privy to what the potion was, so it hardly matters."

"It's also illegal to possess one…"

"Oh, it wasn't mine, it was the school's. It was in the emergency kit, part of an extended list of potions kept on hand by all Headmasters over time, and therefore approved by the board."

"As well you know they are hardly going to sit there and read through the thousands of potions on that list," Aurelius muttered. "I wonder how many people realize how Slytherin you still are."

"What matters is that it worked, but in the future you need to be more aware," Severus said seriously. "You must be more sensitive to what is happening to you, when it is happening to you, and what you are thinking about at the time. All the cures I can give you will be quite temporary until you find out what's behind it. It will be most likely a feeling you experienced during one of your close calls. Keep that in mind."

"Personally, I think the best cure is to simply find out who is behind this," Aurelius said. Severus glanced over at the blackboard he had brought up from a spare classroom. It had both notes in chalk as well as papers taped to it with the riddles they had received. He made a note by Aurelius' about his symptoms.

"The problem, as you well know, is the fact that this family has accumulated quite a long list of enemies over the years who would have plenty enough motive to want to make us suffer. The only ones I have been able to eliminate are the ones long dead, and even some of those I haven't completely ruled out. We need some valid way to narrow this down," Severus said, brooding at the marks on the board. "This doesn't even take into account that it could be someone that only one of us knows who may have decided to touch as many persons connected with the one as possible. For example, how many dark wizards may have a vendetta against you since you first received your license?"

"You don't want to know," Aurelius sighed, and then shrugged. "It doesn't matter. Most of them are in Azkaban, and that place has all sorts of magic to keep things like that from happening." Severus looked thoughtful. "You can at least rule them out, can't you?"

"Can I?" Severus murmured uncertainly. Aurelius frowned.

"What is that strange echo I'm picking up from you?"

"Hm? Oh, voices in my head. Nothing to be concerned about, simply a manifestation of the curse," Severus waved it off, going back over to his desk.

"What?" Aurelius said with alarm, getting up. "But that is serious!"

"I have it under control, Aurelius, if I did not, I would have told you," Severus said evenly.

"Yes, but for how long?" Aurelius said. "I don't like this at all. I think we should turn this entire thing over to the Ministry."

"Your grandfather is aware of the situation."

"Yes, aware, but I mean he ought to be the one organizing it, not you," Aurelius snapped. "In my opinion, he's the only one in the family not infected with this curse capable of doing it. I'm sorry, Father, but under the circumstances, I don't think you are capable now."

"What did you say?" Severus said with surprise.

"The truth, and you know it, and if you don't, I'm hardly going to take it back! You can't possibly…"

"No, no, not about that," Severus said, waving off his son's anger and in the process annoying him all the more. "It doesn't make any logical sense. Why would Thomas be excluded? Not only is he a part of this family but he is one of the most hated men in this entire country, by everyone who has ever come in contact with him, especially ex-Death Eaters…"

"So what? They hate you as well…"

"Precisely why they're all included in my list, but now it doesn't make sense. Why would Thomas be excluded?" Severus asked, pacing.

"Perhaps he's not had close calls?"

"Do you really think he'd still be as active as he is at his age unless he had an Elixir or two on him?" Severus said rather briskly. "No, he has had them…one dose I remember quite clearly," he said, looking back at the blackboard. "This may be just the clue I was looking for. At least it will help us narrow the field, if I am correct."

"Correct in what?" Aurelius sighed, wondering how the conversation had gotten so far from where it had started.

"That whatever it was that inspired this curse happened when Thomas Craw was out of the picture…in other words, during the eleven and a half years he was in Azkaban," Severus explained. "Whomever caused this curse had no reason for vengeance, and therefore the curse didn't take upon him. How many enemies do we have that wouldn't have something against Thomas as well?" Without another word, Severus began to pull out his old journals as if forgetting that Aurelius was even in the room. Reluctantly, Aurelius went over to help, shelving his concerns for the time being.

Just as Severus and Hermione had just settled down to go over proposals for the last board meeting before school, Sirius strode into the office with a troubled expression. Hermione, who was already having a difficult time keeping Severus from getting distracted, put her quill down in complete resignation.

"Trouble, Sirius?" Severus asked calmly.

"Whatever gave you that idea?" Sirius said sarcastically. "Have you heard anything from Harry? He and Essie still haven't gotten back yet." Severus frowned and began to dig in his desk.

"I haven't. Have you already checked with Ginny?" Hermione asked.

"Yes, although frankly, she didn't look well…nervous, distracted…" he said, coming his hand back through his hair as if he wasn't doing much better. "Think she knew something and didn't tell me?"

"I don't think so," Severus said. "I'm sure the curse is beginning to show on her as well. From her poem and what Harry has said, I believe she's developing an extreme fear in unintentionally injuring those around her."

"What? She can't work in a hospital with something like that on her head…"  
"I believe she's already taken a leave of absence. Wasn't Cedric there with her?"

"I don't know!" Sirius snarled. "I didn't see him."

"Perhaps I'd better get down there, Severus," Hermione said, and Severus immediately waved a dismissal. Gathering up her things, Hermione gently patted Sirius' shoulder and left.

"And why is it that they were so willing to tell you all of this and not me?" Sirius barked, pacing the room like a caged beast.

"First off, as you know, I have all of the riddles on my blackboard and guessed before Harry even mentioned it what was going on with Ginny. And secondly, I seriously doubt that Harry wanted to burden you since you obviously have problems of your own," Severus said.

"Do you really think so?" Sirius said bitterly, plopping down in a chair with his fingers digging into the plush arms in his irritation. "Anna threw me out of the house. I was forced to stay at the Cauldron last night."

"You could have stayed at the Brooms…"

"Don't change the subject! You have no idea what's been going on the last couple of days!" Sirius growled, getting up and pacing again. "I can't change forms, Severus! I've tried dozens of times and it's as if a part of me has forgotten how! Meanwhile, Anna keeps complaining that I'm behaving like an animal, but I think she's just testy because she's lost all control over her magic."

"It is a good thing she teaches Muggle Studies then," Severus decided.

"Yes, that's very funny, Severus," Sirius said acidly. "You have no idea what we've been going through…what _I've_ been going through…where's Jennifer?"

"She and Alex went out to speak to some of Ambrose's schoolmates to see where he may be staying, but if it's a potion you're after, you're not going to get it. In fact, I think I'll go downstairs and let Corey know you're not to have any transfiguration potions from his shop, either."

"You don't understand, Severus!" Sirius snarled. "Changing form for me is…"

"An escape?" Severus finished.

"A necessity!" Sirius snapped.

"It's an escape, which is exactly why the curse saw fit to take it away from you," Severus said, matching his raised voice. "A part of you has never been able to let go of what happened, a part of you is still in Azkaban…"  
"And it always will be, Severus!" Sirius shouted. "This has been my only relief from that!"

"Yes, never your family, never your life as it is now, but your ability to become a mongrel," Severus shouted back at him, waving him off in annoyance. "You deserve what you get! Now, go away! I'm busy!"

"What is with you lately?" Sirius barked, then stormed out of the room like a hell hound. Severus sighed, drumming his fingers on his desk for a moment before pushing his work away and kneading his forehead, attempting to clear away the sounds of sniggering in his mind.


	12. The Disagreeable Curse of Harry Potter

XII

The Disagreeable Curse of Harry Potter

When Tonks arrived back at Hogwarts, Severus was quick to send her away again, sticking his nose in his paperwork except for mealtimes with Jennifer and occasional visits to see how Corey was doing. Alex had come by as well to report that letters from Ambrose were still coming, despite the fact that no one had yet to find out where he was staying.

Fortunately, Severus didn't have to wait all that long for news of the other matter he was concerned about; the disappearance of Harry and Essie. For late in the evening on the day after Severus sent Tonks off to try and find them, she returned with both of them. They looked tired and worn, but at least all in one piece.

"I found them," Tonks declared, despite the fact it was obvious. "They were tied to a tree near the banks of Westray with Wizard's Rope. Good thing I happened along when I did before some local Muggles spotted them."

"It would have taken talent," Essie muttered. "We were tied near the top of the tree."

"I would have been back yesterday, but there was some business to take care of," Tonks said, glancing at Harry, who grimaced. "But I'll let Harry tell you about that."

"First, I better warn you to lock the castle gate before anything happens," Harry said, Severus raising his eyebrows at that. "It seems that the curse on me is some sort of enemy magnet. It's like everyone on the entire planet who has an issue with me can all the sudden pinpoint exactly where I am."

"I seriously doubt even if they can pinpoint you that any would show up at Hogwarts," Severus said. "I take it that was how you were both waylaid? An old foe?"

"Try two," Harry said grumpily. "Lex Burton and Ron Hammil…a thief and a con I both sent to the Tower on one occasion on another. Even Essie didn't see it coming," he put in, and Essie glowered at him. "Anyhow, to make a long story short, we went to find Madame Stone…gone, of course. In fact, when we did finally track down another wizard in the area, he didn't have any recollection of anyone at all being there…that the portal shop has been an abandoned shop as long as he could remember."

"Interesting," Severus nodded. "Go on."

"So we headed to a local pub to see if any of the locals recalled anything and…well the next thing we know, well…we're coming to on the other side of the island," Harry admitted, and Severus rolled his eyes, looking back and forth between them in complete disbelief.

"Were you or were you not both my students? What could you possibly be thinking, going into an unfamiliar place and not guarding your drinks?" Severus scolded them. But Essie shrugged.

"Aunt Jennifer never seems to watch _her _drink…" she pointed out. Severus paused, his lip twitching slightly.

"One small fallibility of Truth-Seekers is the tendency to watch people's faces instead of their own hands, expecting everything they are able to glean from their minds enough to protect them, but a little Occlumency can go a long way. If she had any sense, she'd learn to keep her hand over her cup when she's not drinking from it…as would both of you," he added more sternly.

"Trust me, I have no intention of letting anything like this happen again," Harry swore, "Especially after behind tied to a tree for three days."

"And where were the two dark wizards for all of that time?" Severus asked.

"They weren't traveling together, actually. Burton was the one who 'escorted' us out," Harry began. "He was convinced that I was there to take him in, since apparently he was in violation of his parole. I honestly don't think he had an actual game plan, other than perhaps to tie us up to give himself a head start. But the next morning, just when I almost had him convinced that he had nothing to do with the reason I was there, Hammil showed up…I don't know exactly how he stumbled across us…I don't know exactly how they know where I am," Harry added with frustration. "Anyhow, Hammil saw what was going on and had some of his own ideas what to do with us, and before we knew it, they broke into an argument. And then all of the sudden they challenged one another to a wizard's duel. They uh…they both lost."

"That was the matter we had to stay and clear up," Tonks explained ruefully. "In fact, I was the one who was supposed to bring Burton in. That's how I caught up with them so quickly…I had some suspicion they might have crossed paths."

"Tell me, do you happen to have any sort of sample of that potion you took? Perhaps some spilled on your clothing when you went out?" Severus said, Harry and Essie both looking surprised.

"No, I don't think so, Severus. We were hardly in any position to take any samples," Harry said. "Why would that be important? We know who gave it."

"But not who made it or may have supplied it," Severus murmured and got up, pacing. "Could it be possible? Possible yes…but probable?" he asked, and then paused as if listening to his own thoughts. "Yes, but would he have reason?"

"Severus, I don't know what you're thinking, but it seems to me these events are completely unrelated other than the fact that this stupid curse keeps throwing enemies at me," Harry said. "In fact, I really ought to be getting out of here before someone tries to come after me here."

"Harry, no enemy of yours would dare come into this castle, let alone get through any of the detections that has been added to Hogwarts over the years…" Severus began with exasperation. But he found his words cut short when he saw the quill to his appointment book moving and peered over to see what it was up to. "Then again, I may have been mistaken," Severus admitted with annoyance.

Before Harry could react, the door burst open and Minister of Magic Draco Malfoy stormed in the door, Hermione on his heels. Harry groaned.

"Potter!" Draco snarled, taking something out of his pocket and shaking it at him. "I have words for you!"

"Harry! Essie! Are you both all right?" Hermione asked in obvious surprise.

"Don't start with all that, Weasley! I've been looking for him for two days!" Draco snapped.

"And how did you know he was here now, might I ask?" Severus asked.

"A strong hunch, which apparently proved to be right," Draco said, thrusting a piece of cloth at him. "Potter, if you don't do something about that son of yours trespassing on my property, I shall personally see that he will no longer have the ability to do so!"

"Wait…this is a piece of my cloak! My father's cloak!" Harry said with dismay when he took a closer look at it. "How did this get damaged?"

"I found it in the crack of my front door after the intruder alarms went off in my house, Potter. It was your son attempting to sneak in and see Mary!"

"Cedric would have more sense than to have anything to do with any Slytherin, let alone a Malfoy," Harry said. "Where did you really get this?"

"Stop playing stupid, Potter! Or is the problem that you spend so much time chasing crooks that you don't realize you have one in your own family? If he shows up one more time, I'll have him arrested for harassment and stalking! Weasley, I demand you make certain that Mary doesn't have to sit any classes with that detriment to society!"

"Draco, please," Severus said, kneading his head.

"Detriment to society? Like you have room to talk! Tell me, Draco, how many votes do you plan to buy _this_ reelection?" Harry growled.

"Harry, not now," Severus warned. "We have other things to…"

"How dare you try and make this about me when it's your perverted son who doesn't know his boundaries? I am officially putting a restraining order on that no good reject, and I swear if I do see him around my house, you won't be having any grandchildren by him," Draco swore.

"You touch my son and I swear…" Harry said, pulling out his wand despite Hermione's shouting for him to stop.

"Point that thing at me and I promise I will shove it up your…"

"ENOUGH!" Severus said, pulling out his own wand. "If you insist on act like ill-mannered students, you will be treated like them!" Without another word, Severus flicked his wand and a pair of shackles appeared on each of them, raising their arms high in the air.

Before either had time to do much but let out a wail, the shackles suddenly took off, dragging them both down the spiral stairs. In fact, the shackles were flying with such speed that they didn't have time to get their footing before they were pulled down the main stairwell, despite their pleas to stop. But the most frightening moments were when there was no staircase at all; for even when a stair had moved to another position, the shackles followed the same path regardless. Subsequently, the most painful moments were when they hit the landings again, which _almost_ made them look forward for the momentary relief of the stairs being gone. At last, they found themselves on an even surface and were able to hit the ground running as the shackles, still high in the air, led them into the deepest dungeon and into a door that led down a long winding ramp into pure darkness. Finally, the shackles jerked up to meet some chains embedded in the walls near the school's cistern.

"Snape, you're fired," Draco groaned the moment he caught his breath.

"The board does that," Harry said, still wincing in pain and wishing he could rub his aching wrists and bruised feet and legs.

"Then I'll fire the board unless they do!"

"They're elected by…"

"Oh SHUT UP, Potter! We wouldn't be in this position if it wasn't for you in the first place!" Draco snarled. "You and that delinquent son of yours! Not that I'm not going to make Snape pay for this!"

"I don't Snape is completely in his right mind at the moment, Malfoy," Harry said quietly.

"Oh really? What was your first clue?" Draco said viciously. Harry simply sighed and waited. He hadn't forgotten that Hermione had witnessed what had happened.

In fact, at first she was in a state of shock, but she was able to shake it off after she saw Severus put his wand away and searching through his desk, pulling out a folder as if nothing had happened.

"What did you do to them? Where did they go?" Hermione rasped when she found her voice.

"I put them below the castle so they can think about their attitudes. I'd make certain they are still there when I get back, if I were you," Severus warned briskly, glancing over the folder before grabbing his cloak.

"Get back? Where are you going?"

"I have some school business out of the country, and there is another matter in Orkney I want to look into…"

"What? You can't honestly be thinking of going abroad while you have Harry and Draco shackled in the dungeon?" Hermione said with a dropped jaw. "Have you thought about what sort of repercussions this is going to have? Draco is the Minister of Magic!"

"If they are going to act like misbehaving students, I shall treat them like them!" Severus snarled loudly. "Tell Jennifer not to wait up. I'll likely be late and perhaps have to stay over. And leave them where they are, Hermione," he ordered again as he strode out the door. Hermione merely stood there a moment, exhaling slowly as she tried to pick a course of action.


	13. Severus' First Suspect

XIII

Severus' First Suspect

Hermione wisely decided to wait until Severus was well on his way and Harry and Draco had time to cool down before putting aside her work and making her way to the cistern chamber to check on them. They were not hard to find despite the fact that neither of them were speaking, and their expressions were easy enough for anyone to read.

"There you are. I see the two of you have made absolutely no progress," Hermione said, inspecting the shackles to determine what spell had been used.

"You had better not support Snape, Weasley!" Draco snarled. "I have every intention of seeing that he gets fired for his actions!"

"Do you really want to find yourself in a position where you must replace half the staff just before the school year? There's an election coming in the spring, you know," Hermione pointed out calmly.

"Half the staff?" Draco repeated.

"Well, you don't expect Jennifer and Andrew to stay if Severus gets sacked, do you? So you'll need a Potion's Master and Transfiguration instructor. While you're at it, you may look for Herbology…Pomona's been wanting to retire for some time now and I'm sure this would make up her mind for her…oh, and of course there's Charms…"

"Are you threatening to leave as well?" Draco stared.

"Well, I really have no choice. 'Must stand by Headmaster in questionable or trying times despite personal interests'…it's in my contract, you know, Dumbledore put it there himself," Hermione explained. "But don't worry, I'll make sure Ron isn't too hard on you for causing a situation that would make the school lose every major subject's professor at once…oh, I suppose Anna would leave too, hmm…."

"That is blackmail!" Draco snarled.

"No, it is simply a fact," Hermione said, releasing Harry from the wall first. "But if you want to follow through with your threat, feel free to go right ahead, no one is stopping you." Draco's shackles snapped off then, but he merely stood there and scowled at her, rubbing his wrists. "As for your concerns over your daughter, I will, of course, do what I can to keep them in separate classrooms, but considering Mary is just a few months shy of legal age, there really isn't much I can do about any activities they want to share outside the class…well, within normal school rules, of course."

"What? Don't tell me you actually believe this stupid claim of his…" Harry began, flustered.

"Harry, you need to be home more often. I know you've been doing everything to discourage this relationship as well, but it's not working, nor do I think either of you will be able to stop it at all after this year," Hermione said.

"I will take her to a foreign country before I let her take up with _that_," Draco swore.

"I will have a long talk with him about all of this," Harry said, glancing once again at the scrap of cloak. Hermione merely sighed and shook her head, reluctantly leading them back upstairs.

After that, Hermione then proceeded to get back to work as normal…which was, of course, why she got the job in the first place. Even in the most trying of times, it was her job as Deputy Headmaster to keep things at the school running smoothly, regardless of what was happening in the outside world or what sort of calamity the Headmaster was facing that week. It was a job that she excelled at, even though at times she did bring it home with her. Ron would always listen intently and glean what he could out of her, although privately Hermione often wondered if he was only fishing for a new story. She had created a monster all those years ago when she had talked him into helping with her paper. But the job as editor of _the Daily Prophet_ made sense for a person who had the undeniable knack of always finding himself at the wrong place at the wrong time, (even though part of that was to blame on the particular friends he hung out with, strangely enough.)

At any rate, Hermione had a job to do, and curse or not, September was pressing closer. With Severus gone, Hermione greeted and briefed the staff coming in herself, often coming back to her office to find long letters sent to her from Severus about matters at hand, first about issues at the board meeting, and then about particulars of some changes he wanted to see in management that year. The overnight jaunt had turned into a longer absence…this wasn't really all that uncommon, even at that time of year. Any time he went out 'on business,' some wizard or another would delay him with one problem or another, just as it happened to Dumbledore all those many years ago. Often he would come back with a tale or two that made Hermione appreciate just how much insanity he had to put up with, so she was quite content with her…well, relatively quiet…part of the job.

Still, as time grew closer to the day when the students would arrive, Hermione began to get worried, even with Severus' daily reports that he would be there before they were. Anna arrived and promptly asked for a room, ignoring all inquiries on her personal life, while Jennifer often seemed listless and dazed, obviously exhausted as if not sleeping well at all. So it was with some heartfelt relief that Hermione sent Severus down to the potion lab when he arrived home on the very morning of the Sorting Ceremony, while she got to the business to adding another name to the first year list at his request.

Consciousness was not something that was coming easily to Jennifer, despite the strong coffee in her system. Big, heavy cauldrons bubbled about the room filled with potions for the medical ward, while bags of ingredients were stacked on the floors still waiting to be inspected. She had sat down at her desk, only for a moment…to clear the dizziness in her head, the fog in the room adding to the problem all the more. But as she was dozing off, she suddenly jerked awake when she noticed the presence of black silk brocade near the doorway. Severus was back…and that he wore his good robes instead of his normal rags could mean only one thing…he was in his Headmaster mindset, and school was once again his priority.

"What in the name of…get up, Jennifer, before you asphyxiate on your own potion fumes! Since when do you not open a window?" he scolded her, opening them all before walking over to her. "Just what have you been doing while I was gone? Not sleeping, I gather. I had best give you a hand…"

"I can handle it myself!" Jennifer snapped so viciously that Severus paused, watching as she angrily drew herself to her feet and went over to stir a cauldron. "I don't need your help, Severus, I'm quite capable of doing my own job without your help."

"Perhaps as your husband I would normally agree with you," Severus said. "But as your employer, from the general state of this room, the progress of the potions at hand and the fact that we've a mere seven hours before the students arrive, I most emphatically disagree. Now go stand at the window and take in some fresh air this very instant or I shall expel you from the castle until you've come around to behaving like yourself again, no matter how long that takes."

"And go without a Potion's Master?" Jennifer challenged him.

"Better none at all than a bad one," Severus quickly retorted, Jennifer glaring at him in return. "Besides I happen to know of at least one person who could easily fill in. Go to that window, or I shall chuck you out of it."

"It's not big enough…"

"Easily remedied," Severus warned. Jennifer matched his gaze for a moment before sulkily going over to the window, folding her arms in obvious protest as Severus attempted to bring the room to order. "I knew I should have gotten home sooner. I knew the nightmares would be plaguing you by now. Have you tried Sleeping Potion?"

"Only the strongest ones cut through it, Severus, and then I sleep so long I can't get anything done…"

"Yes, I can see how this way is much better…"

"Oh, please stop talking at me like that, Severus! I'm not an erring student, and if you don't stop it, I'll do more than walk out of here, I'll quit!" Jennifer snapped.

"No idle threats, please. We both know you aren't capable of any other job, nor would anyone else have the tolerance to put up with you," Severus said curtly.

Jennifer turned with a jolt and stared at him with a dropped jaw, slowly closing it when it became obvious he was ignoring her.

"So the curse has gotten to you after all, hasn't it?" Jennifer said, nodding to herself as if in confirmation. "Perhaps you're right, but you've done nothing now but insure that I leave, and I'm not completely convinced that wasn't what you wanted after all. So be it then, I don't need you, or this job!"

As she stormed towards the door, Severus raised his hand and a hazy glass frame on the wall shattered. Immediately everything in the room came to a standstill, from the smoke coming from the cauldrons to the bubbles popping within it, and even Jennifer stood mid-stride facing the door. Severus gazed at her a moment and let out a quiet sigh before he walked over to the door and closed it, pausing in thought. Finally he turned and stood in front of it, murmuring a spell which caused the glass on the floor to suddenly pick itself up and put itself back together.

Immediately, everything began to move again, including Jennifer, who took another couple of steps before staggering a bit in surprise to find Severus standing in her path.

"Calm down, I didn't mean that any more than you did…" Severus said as she tried to get passed him.

"Didn't you?" Jennifer snapped, and Severus put his hands on her arms.

"We are both tired and I let my impulses get ahead of me. I apologize, let's just get this lab back in order. Come now, I know you would never leave such an obligation in this sort of disarray under normal circumstances."

Jennifer stopped and stared at the closed door, exhaling loudly.

"Fine, I'll get the lab caught up, then I'll leave," Jennifer said curtly, shrugging him off.

"As you like," Severus said in an indifferent tone before going back over to the cauldrons while Jennifer began to go through the bags on the floor. "But I insist you stay until after the Sorting Ceremony, then if you still want to leave, be my guest. If you're not there on the first night it'll be sure to get out and I don't want the school year coming in on a scandal. There's enough talk what with this curse business."

"Oh, Severus," Jennifer said, instantly deflated. "When is this all going to end? I'm not sure I can take much more of it…I can't sleep at night, nor can I stay awake during the day, and I'm not completely sure I'm not going mad because of it."

"That's precisely what they want us to do, and what we must fight off, Jennifer," Severus said firmly. "This curse is one that prays on our weaknesses, through exposing them and taking advantage of them. The only way past it is to acknowledge them and refuse to become the victim. In fact, that realization has helped me develop a countercurse. There is only one problem with ridding ourselves of it now."

"You mean, finding who's responsible for the curse," Jennifer said.

"No, actually, I am fairly sure I know who is behind it now. It's the fact that someone else seems to be helping is what troubles me, and what sort of motive might be behind it…" Severus murmured distantly as Jennifer's attention turned to his face. Severus felt her eyes and met her gaze.

"Oh, no, it couldn't be. It just couldn't be Sibyl Trelawney! There's no way anyone could possibly manage this sort of curse from inside the walls of Azkaban…"

"Yes, that is why it was the first place I went to when I left, Jennifer," Severus said, taking out an envelope from his pocket and holding it out to her. "Her release papers."

"Now that I think of the whole situation, it becomes all the more obvious it was her who would have done such a thing," Jennifer said, shaking her head, then pausing. "Wait a minute, these have her released to St. Mungos for psychiatric attention…"

"She's not there, Jennifer, I went there as well," Severus brooded. "She disappeared not long before one of the nurses who was looking after her went on leave of absence."

"Oh no…"

"Oh, yes, it was Ginny," Severus nodded, turning back to the brew. "But I am far from the bottom of this case yet. As you can see, all of this with Sibyl happened quite recently, and yet someone else has known about it for quite some time…the person who helped her escape is the same person that was behind the appearance and disappearance of Madame Stone. You and I both know that Sibyl's insanity stems from her misuse of the crystal…it runs quite deep, and I don't think the best wizard doctors in the world could bring her close to sanity. Whether the person helping her is sane or not still remains to be seen, and even though we know that in her mind Sibyl has reason enough to condemn us to unfavorable futures, we know nothing of the other."

"But I thought you had suspicions already on who her partner is, Severus…"

"But no motive, Jennifer, and without it, my suspicions really mean nothing more than that," Severus said, lapsing into silence as he began to fill the potion bottles. Jennifer puzzled over it herself, but having nothing to add she got back to work, temporarily forgetting about their argument.


	14. Culture Shock

XIV

Culture Shock

Severus was not by nature a very absent minded man; and perhaps had Jennifer not been so far behind in her work, he would have recalled that there was something important he had to discuss with her, despite the voices in the back of his head arguing about what the best way to stir the cauldron in front of him was.

But even without stopping for lunch, the two of them were hard pressed to have it all done in time and were still cleaning up when the sound of a train horn blew in the distance. Jennifer immediately dropped to the floor, blowing her hair out of her face.

"I'm done. No, I mean it, I'm really done. I don't think I'm going tonight, Severus…"

"Oh, no, you don't. I can't let you get out of it now, you promised," Severus said, pulling her back to her feet. "Wash up and straighten your hair, and let's head to the Hall. You'll regret it if you don't go," he said, using his wand to put the finishing touches on the room.

"Oh, honestly, Severus, it's just another Sorting. I'm so tired I don't even care about the nightmares anymore. Can't you just tell me about what happens in the morning?"

"No, I'm afraid not. There are already things I probably should have told you already, but you'll be finding out soon enough…no, none of that, there will be time enough to fish my mind later, not that you could hear anything above the noise that's in it now. Go get ready, or I'll drag you to the Great Hall as you are," Severus threatened in a tone that let Jennifer know he was quite serious.

Of course, part of him regretted not having the opportunity to tell her sooner, but it was far too late for that now. For above he knew that the first of the coaches were about to arrive, and at the boat docks first years were getting settled into place…including his young new ward.

Fortuna Conejo might as well have been on an entirely different planet let alone a different country, for after stepping out of the airplane, she found herself being ushered into a flying car.

"Now, don't worry," said a cheerful elderly man, who in Lucky's opinion could have easily fit into the social worker category as far as looks. "This is my new _improved_ version. See? It's an actual Honda."

A spark of both pride and mischief was in his eyes, but before Lucky could figure out something nice to say instead of what she was really thinking, the car started with a jolt. At an alarming speed, they turned a corner and then suddenly went straight up at an angle like a rocket! Lucky got knocked back into her seat, feeling her face pressed backwards until the car finally righted itself over the clouds and Lucky began to cuss fervently under her breath in surprise.

"Sorry? I'm afraid I don't know um…whatever it is you're speaking, so you'll just have to stick to English. I suppose I should have brought Alex along…Snape's eldest daughter, you'll get along well with her, I imagine, but I'm afraid there's no time to stop and chat with her. I have to get you to the train," Arthur explained.

"Train?" Lucky echoed nervously.

"The Hogwarts Express, of course. I would take you all the way out there myself, but the Headmaster was quite explicit…just as well, I suppose. He probably doesn't want your ties with him to become too well known too soon, and I must admit the Minister of Magic would probably have my hide if he knew I actually got this thing working again. You see, there's this silliness with Muggles putting computers in fuel injectors these days that doesn't quite gel with….ah yes, I was afraid of that. Do you hear it?"

"Hear what?" Lucky asked quickly.

"The magic not gelling. I think we're going to be in for a rough landing," he admitted as green ooze began coming out from under the hood. Lucky immediately reached for her seatbelt, growing even more nervous when Arthur did the same.

The car began to shake violently, and despite Arthur's best efforts to ease the car down, it began to nosedive like a bird struck by shot. He began shouting instructions out to her, but she couldn't really hear it over her own screaming as they fell out of the clouds and straight towards the station as if they were going to bomb it. Arthur jerked the wheel to the right to try and straighten it onto the tracks and Lucky closed her eyes, bracing herself for impact. It seemed to take forever…in fact, she was sure they should have hit the tracks by now…she was so disoriented that she was not quite prepared for the point they finally did crash. The sound of bending metal was all around her, and she was quite sure that she would never make it to Hogwarts. But then the noise stopped, and the rumbling eased, and she timidly opened an eye to find a bag in her face.

Arthur pushed his airbag down to look at her.

"All right?" he said, helping her with hers. "No bones broken? Not a scratch? I'm so glad I reinforced the frame with a charm or two, although a bit of luck never hurts. And see where we are! Well, at least I know there's no way possible you're going to miss the train."

Lucky looked out the window to see how his optimism played out in reality, and when she did, she couldn't help but let out a groan, for they had literally landed on the baggage car of the Hogwarts Express. Excited handlers were even now shouting up at them while hundreds of eyes were staring openly at her as she got out.

"_Madre de Dios!_ I think I was safer living in New York," Lucky murmured to herself, prying her suitcase loose.

"It's all right, we're perfectly fine…the car's a bit totaled, but, well, it's health that matters. Now, I'll have these dents ironed out on the coach, don't you worry," Arthur called down to the crowd. Just then, a dark girl in her late teens and wearing Slytherin robes suddenly rose up on her broom stick, looking over the situation with speculative black eyes before shaking her head.

"You're lucky my father dropped me off early. He would have been spitting fireballs, you know…"

"Yes, it is fortunate…ah, thank you, Mary, would you see the young lady down while I see to things up here? Ah, Cedric! Thank you," he said to the lanky brown-haired boy grabbing the bags. "This is Lucky Conejo, from New York…this is Mary Malfoy and Cedric Potter, Head Students at the school."

"You're a long way from home," Mary commented as the girl tried to figure out how to get on behind her. "I'd put your weight on your thigh, if I were you. Come on, it's not all that far to the ground."

"The ground would be a welcome place right now," Lucky said and Mary grinned at her then floated them down.

"That was wild! I've never seen anything like that before!" a young red-haired girl said. "Granddad really flipped out this time, didn't he, Tim?"

"Wait until Grandma hears," an older red-haired boy said.

"Well, that car didn't last long, did it?" said another with brown hair but very similar facial features. "We told him not to mess with those computerized engine contraptions. Old people never listen."

"Just who are you, anyhow?" the red-haired boy asked.

"This is Conejo, from New York," Mary said, touching her arm. "These are more Weasleys, and they're just as balmy as their grandfather."

"Hey!" they protested as a group.

"Uh oh, look sharp, Auror Snape is here. Called by the train engineers, I imagine," the brown-haired boy said, glancing through the crowd. Lucky didn't know what an Auror was, but looked intently out for Severus, hoping he would rescue her from all of this, or at least take her home. But as it turned out, it was indeed Aurelius who was coming towards them, gaping at the car for a long time before shaking his head and shouting at Arthur to get down and talk.

"Don't worry," Cedric said in Lucky's ear. "Snapes and Weasleys have been friends for years. In fact, Arthur helped take care of them when they were young…Auror Snape isn't likely to take him in or anything."

"Take him in?"

"For altering a Muggle invention, of course," Cedric said, watching as Arthur climbed down to talk to Aurelius. "Come on, let's go over, just in case. I can get my Dad to intervene if necessary," he added, pulling Lucky along with him. Mary quickly followed along, and the Weasleys as well, ready to stand up for their grandfather if needed. Another young boy in first year robes was standing next to Aurelius, watching curiously as the others approached.

"I am sorry, Rel, but time was of the essence," Arthur explained. "Her plane was delayed…I'm sure you know how unreliable those Muggle things are, although fascinating too…Just how do they manage to fly without…"

"Now, let's not get off the subject. So her plane was late? Who's this 'her' you refer to?" Aurelius asked.

"Well, Lucky, of course, who else? He had to get back to the school, so I volunteered to pick her…"

"Wait wait, who does 'he' refer to?" Aurelius interrupted, getting impatient.

"Well, your father, who else? Half a moment, didn't he tell you he's taken on a ward?" Arthur asked with a frown.

"A ward?" Aurelius said in surprise.

"A ward?" Echoed Cedric, Mary and the Weasleys.

"A ward? Why that dirty…" Aurelius put out a hand and pushed the boy standing beside him back behind him, cutting off his sentence.

"So that Lucky could come to school at Hogwarts, your father became her legal guardian. He's been working at it nearly all week, from what he told me, so I just assumed he would have told you, or at least Jennifer would have mentioned…" Arthur said, then realization hit them both at the same time. "Ah."

"I'll get in touch with Andrew about it so he knows what to expect," Aurelius said.

"Hey, don't worry, Jackie and I are good friends from New York. She'll be glad to see me!" Lucky protested.

"I'm sure she will be, Lucky, but that's not exactly the problem. Truth Seekers don't like not knowing things. Trust me, I know," Aurelius said dryly. "You had better move that car so the train can get out of here on time. In the meanwhile, it seems I have an Oracle reporter to waylay," he said, glancing up at the reporter standing near the support beam.

"Well, that's lovely. Now, you run along with your friends, there you are. You see? Everything turned out all right. Perhaps you really are Lucky!" Arthur winked, then headed over to talk to the conductor.

"Then why don't I feel it right now?" Lucky murmured.

"Let's get you settled on the train, your bags are already on it…er…in it, rather. And you Weasleys should probably have been on it ten minutes ago," Cedric frowned at them.

"We were afraid that another car would come out of the blue and land on us, crushing us all to death," the brown-haired boy said.

"Well, that'd be one less headache for me, then, wouldn't it, Reggie?" Cedric said as they walked.

"One less Chaser too," he reminded him. But Lucky noticed the boy who had been with Aurelius was hanging back, looking over at where the Auror was as if a bit lost.

"'Ey, you, _chico_, what you waiting for? Written invitation?" Lucky asked him.

"Who, me?" the boy said, looking back around. "Well, I suppose I had better get on too, shouldn't I?"

"Unless you prefer to walk," Cedric said, standing near the train and making a movement as if ushering them in. "What's your name then, anyhow? I caught hers."

"Bill Kingfisher," the boy said timidly.

"In you go then, Kingfisher," Cedric said, "And you too, Miss Have-to-Make-an-Entrance Ward of the Headmaster." Lucky smiled sheepishly at him before stepping up behind Bill, the Weasleys following in turn still laughing about what had just happened. Cedric shook his head and gazed over at Mary, who shared the same expression with him before they headed to the Prefect car.


	15. Sorting Secrets

XV

Sorting Secrets

Strong coffee was already waiting for Jennifer at her seat when they arrived at the head table courtesy of Hermione Weasley, although she wasn't sure she could really stomach any more. But Hermione was smiling encouragingly, apparently satisfied from her appearance that Severus had set things right. The thoughts behind that concern rather annoyed her, but she didn't have long to dwell on it.

"Good evening, Jennifer, Severus…"

"Hermione," Severus said, also nodding to some of the others. "After the ceremony, would you be so good as to dig out Ms. Craw's contract, personal files and accounts? I believe she's planning to find employment elsewhere."

"What was that?" Hermione said, squinting at Severus before glancing at Jennifer who was giving him a dirty look.

"Ignore him, Hermione, Severus knows I wouldn't leave the school without giving you notice, no matter how much he deserves it," Jennifer said, despite the fact that Severus seemed completely indifferent.

"I hate it when the two of you start to mix school business in with your quarrels! I may put up with it in the summer, but the new year is about to start," Hermione protested.

"So it is," Severus said calmly. "Perhaps you should get the Hat, then? Jennifer, save the seat next to you for Zed, will you?"

"Since when does Zed Tangent ever show up at any social event?" Jennifer asked with a frown and a shake of the head. "He hasn't been here for any occasion since you hired him, you know how much of a workaholic he is. I don't think he's seen a bit of sun in years."

"I had his assurance that he would be here. Good evening, Danyelle, Pomona. Has anyone seen Andrew?" Severus frowned.

"He was in the Owlery a few minutes ago," Anna said wearily, and Severus gazed at her thoughtfully.

"And how are you?" he asked.

"Fine," Anna snapped. "At least, better than Jennifer…you look like a zombie."

"She'll be going to take a large dose and going to bed after this if I have to take her morning classes myself," Severus agreed with a warning tone.

"If you threaten to sack me again, Severus, I really will leave," Jennifer snapped as Hermione came back from the staff room with the Hat.

"It is definitely going to be one of those nights," Hermione muttered. "I'm going to go ahead and bring them in. It sounds like none of us are starting off on the right foot this year."

"Wait for Zed, please, Hermione," Severus insisted.

"Yes! Yes! Wait for me! If I must be here, I insist on having to sit through the entire proceedings!"

Jennifer glanced up to see Zed approaching and got up so he could get comfortable, if any man that large could ever get comfortable upon the rather smallish chairs. Zed P. Tangent was a fairly recent addition to the staff, and the new Arithmantics professor had made an impression from the first. He had a very round face on his very round bald head, and a pair of round spectacles sat upon the rounded tip of his nose. Even his torso was round, and had he a beard, perhaps he might have been mistaken as Father Christmas, for his face was red and dimply and his studious grey eyes had a hidden mischief to them.

"Good evening, Jennifer. Good evening, Headmaster. I trust this will be worth my while," he said in a low voice, a smile planted on his face. "Although I admit to being quite curious to see this new prodigy you've told me about," he said. Severus quickly motioned for Hermione to bring the new students in.

"Prodigy?" Jennifer repeated with surprise.

"Yes, the Headmaster tells me one of the first years is a natural in my field, there aren't many, you know. In fact in some ways, I find it's even rarer to your knack for legilimens, don't you think so, Headmaster?"

"Hm," Severus said noncommittally, gazing straight ahead towards the doors.

"A natural for Arithmantics? You don't say? Well, it must not be all that uncommon. I happened to meet someone this summer who was quite exceptional in the talent, only of course she couldn't _possibly_ be here, because after all it was too convenient and, as I recall, someone said, 'no' to such an effort," Jennifer said, the sharpness of her voice not lost at all in her mocking flippancy. "So it can't be who I'm thinking about, can it?" she asked, looking over at Severus again.

"See for yourself," Severus said calmly, still refusing to meet her gaze. Jennifer's eyes darted for the opening doors and looked searchingly through the students to find the one she was looking for.

"Lucky," Jennifer said to herself with mixed emotions.

"I was able to pull it off after all, you see…" he said in a low voice.

"And without a word or a glance to me? Is this what you were keeping from me that night before you left?" she hissed at him as they assembled.

"No, at that point I didn't know whether or not I was going to be able to get her here. I didn't want to get your hopes up, I know how you are," Severus murmured quietly.

"How I am? Then explain to me why you didn't tell me when we spent hours in my lab today?" Jennifer demanded, her murmur increasing in volume.

"Jennifer, I can't hear the Hat's rhyme," Danny hissed.

"Professor Craw, please," Zed said from beside her. "He may be your husband, but right now he is the Headmaster and you should give him the respect he deserves at the opening of the school year. Save it for later. To do otherwise only does you a disservice."

"You were a Hufflepuff, weren't you?" Jennifer retorted. Zed simply smiled enigmatically, but Jennifer did sit back, refusing to look at Severus again.

She did notice that quite a few of the students at the tables were watching her curiously. There were also a few first years peering at her, including Lucky, whom she threw an encouraging smile to, as well as the boy standing beside her. Jennifer did a double take, squinting at the boy and knowing his face for what it was...simply a disguise for an overly clever seven-year-old.

"How in the hell…"

"Jennifer, hush!" Danny hissed again just as the Hat cried out Slytherin House. "Damn, I missed his name!"

"Atchison," Severus murmured to Danny. But Jennifer clamped her mouth shut, staring at the boy. He simply gazed back at her with worry in his eyes, knowing his fate now rested in her hands. Fine, it isn't like Severus seems to _want_ to know, she told herself, and he did keep Lucky's presence here from her…

"Fortuna Conejo!" Hermione called out with a cryptic smile towards Lucky. The girl grinned confidently as she stepped up, although Jennifer couldn't help but notice her deep longing to run. Instead, she sat down and raised her chin proudly, waiting for the hat to hit her head. It didn't stay very long.

"_Gryffindor!"_ the Hat proclaimed, and they all clapped, even Severus, despite letting out a groan at the same time.

"Could there have been any doubt of that?" Jennifer said with a grin as she clapped as well. "She's not one to conform."

"She couldn't be any worse than Corey," Severus said, despite the fact he knew he was about to be proven wrong. After that, Jennifer became much more interested in the ceremony, noting each Ravenclaw with interest and enthusiasm. But never was she as intent as when the name of Bill Kingfisher was called and he strode to the stool and sat, gazing at the Hat with wonder before it was plopped down on his head.

There it sat. And sat. And sat. For a very, very long time.

"_Hufflepuff!" _it declared at last.

"Hufflepuff?" Jennifer said in complete disbelief.

"Hufflepuff?" Andrew repeated with a confused expression on his face.

"And why not?" Pomona asked, clapping loudly to make up for the fact that they didn't right away.

Jennifer's head turned sharply to look at Andrew and squinted at him. As he began to clap, he noticed her looking at him and smiled sheepishly. Well, that answered her question on how the name got in the book. And it seemed Aurelius was in on this too. But the Hat's decision still baffled her, and she waited impatiently for the rest to be Sorted, the announcements made, and the Hat to be sat upon the table.

"Tough crowd this year," the Hat muttered critically, eyeing Jennifer.

"I am sorry," Jennifer apologized, "but I do want to ask you something." Severus raised an eyebrow at her. "Why did you put Kingfisher in Hufflepuff?"

"I take it you know the boy?" Severus asked.

"I've seen him around," Jennifer answered quickly. "But he doesn't seem much like a Hufflepuff to me."

"Why don't you transfigure into a Hat and see if you can do better, if you're going to criticize," the Hat said.

"I don't think she is being critical, Hat, I think she's just curious, as am I, knowing the boy myself," Andrew said. Hermione frowned slightly.

"Well, it is true that the boy has courage, wit, and perhaps too much ambition and slyness for his own good," the Hat said. "But what that boy needs encouraged most in is his sense of duty and hard work. It's there, but often buried, as only I can see. That is what can carry him through his life better than all the rest."

"You're right," Jennifer said, nodding at last. Andrew nodded and sat back as well and looked more interested in his plate.

"Of course I'm right," the Hat said in annoyance. "I don't tell you how to teach Potions, stop pestering me."

"You really are out of sorts today, aren't you, Jennifer? Why don't you give in and get some rest?" Hermione put in.

"Perhaps I shall, I'm really not hungry," Jennifer said, getting up. "And I have an Owl to send out."

"Um…I'll walk up with you, you do look tired," Andrew said quickly, grabbing what he could off his plate before following her.

"Severus," Hermione said the moment they had left. "Do you know this Kingfisher boy as well?"

"No, but for some reason I feel now that I should," Severus said with a frown.

"Yes, so do I," Hermione said, looking troubled as she turned to her plate.

When Severus arrived back at their rooms, Jennifer was standing at the open window, gazing out thoughtfully.

"I imagined you might have collapsed by now," he said calmly. "Shall I make us some tea?"

"You would only put something in it," Jennifer said briskly.

"Yes, well, perhaps, but I don't see how you could hardly blame me. At least sit down, you look dead on your feet. We ought to have a talk, anyhow," Severus said, bringing the tray over and setting it on the table. Making sure she was looking at him, Severus brought out a phial and showed it to her before putting it in her tea. "Drink it or not whenever you like, but I suggest you do if you plan to teach tomorrow. You'll be blowing up the lab for certain in that condition. Who is that Kingfisher boy?"

"A local at Hogsmeade. Why didn't you tell me about Lucky?" Jennifer threw back at him.

"I had meant to, Jennifer, truly. I merely got caught up in the circumstances of my arrival. And there is something else you should know. I have signed on as her legal guardian, although I admit I was torn about actually doing such a thing under the circumstances. Vallid is aware of our condition, however. In fact, I believe she is planning to come here and look after things if anything happens to me," Severus said. Jennifer stared at him in alarm. "Now, Jennifer, it is simply precautionary. You know how I like to prepare for any circumstance."

"The echoing voices in your head seem much louder to me now, Severus," Jennifer said quietly.

"To me as well. They tend to tempt me and goad me into following through with my first response to any situation, but for the most part I have been able to stave them off except for moments of anger. I'm afraid this morning I let them get away from me," Severus admitted.

"So the evil the poem speaks of is not having control over your first impulse," Jennifer said, leaning back on the couch.

"Hasn't it always been?" Severus said dryly, then shrugged it off. "I am not worried about myself so much as the others, you especially, and Harry, whose enemies constantly surround him…and Aurelius, who despite constant potion doses gets redder by the day. Guilt is what eats at him, it always has, just as your feeling of dependency eats upon you." Jennifer looked uncomfortable. "Jennifer, do you see me as independent?"

"Well, yes, obviously you are," Jennifer said.

"Is it so obvious?"

"You wouldn't be Headmaster if you weren't," Jennifer said.

"Really? And yet Dumbledore told me that I probably would never have been Headmaster had it not been for you and the children," Severus said. Jennifer smiled slightly.

"I think he only meant the changes you went through adapting, Severus, not necessarily that you depended on us."

"And yet I do, all the same. Part of the changes you speak of was learning to depend on others and allow myself to be depended upon, as well as matters of trust. But does that make me, or you for that matter, any less dependant for _choosing_ to depend on one another?" he asked. "This morning you made it quite clear to me you can and would leave if you chose to. So long as you can still make that choice, you are not in any danger of losing your independence."

"But it's not just that," Jennifer protested, aggrieved. "How many times have I gotten into some sort of mess I couldn't get myself out of? How many times would I have died if someone else hadn't intervened?"

"And how many times have you pulled myself or someone else out and we would have died had you not intervened?" Severus pointed out. "Independence isn't based solely on how many times someone has come to your aid but how many times more you have aided them. How many people depend upon you, Jennifer? And before you answer, consider your job and how many students have come through this school. Does anyone think for you? You have your own agenda, your own opinions on things, if you didn't we wouldn't quarrel so much, although I would that you were a little more discrete about _where_ you chose to pick those fights."

"You're right, I'm sorry about dinner, but you should have told me," Jennifer said.

"I should have," Severus agreed. "Despite her talents, none of the American schools would bend because of her record, so I had to go over there myself and straighten things out. I had hoped you wouldn't have minded my taking on the responsibility, since I believe that was what you were attempting from the beginning."

"Of course it was," Jennifer smiled. "So that was what changed your mind? That she couldn't get into school?"

"That and to spite Mark, yes," Severus said easily. "I need to speak to Hermione about her now that she's in her house, however, I expect problems since she's not used to any sort of discipline. I also arranged for her to go ahead and have Arithmantics early, as you probably already guessed. And if things go well…well, then we'll see."

"You mean officially adopting her?" Jennifer asked brightly.

"No one with dependency problems could be as incorrigible as you are, I'll have you know," Severus scolded, holding the tea out to her. Jennifer leaned into him with a smile, accepting the cup.


	16. A Moment of Uncertainty

XVI

A Moment of Uncertainty

A good night's sleep went a long way to rebounding Jennifer's energy for the next few days, but Severus knew that those he had not spoken to in a while were bound to be in worse condition. Inquiries were sent out, and he soon got a reply from Harry.

Early the next morning just before classes were about to start, Severus headed up in the mountains to a lone stone cottage where Sirius once took refuge. No one seemed to be there, and he glanced at his watch.

"Strange," Severus murmured to himself as he saw where the different needles were pointing. But just then there was a popping sound and Harry appeared, looking a bit out of breath.

"Oh, good, you're here, thanks," Harry said. "I didn't want to take any chances at the school, you know."

"I think it would have been fine, being that Draco seems to be avoiding me at the moment…" Severus said, waving it off.

"I know you've turned the castle into a fortress, but I can't risk even one of the wizards currently following me to get through," Harry interrupted. "Aurelius is in the hospital being treated for burns again. Thomas has tried to tell him it's time he took a leave, but he's going at it anyhow…"

"I'll talk to him," Severus said with a nod.

"That's not all. Sirius is in St. Mungo's as well, but for another matter," Harry said, pacing. "He's worse than I ever remember seeing him, Severus. Since he's stopped being able to change into his dog form, he's acting like one in his human form. I told Remus, he's on his way to visit."

"Probably not a bad idea. How is Ginny?" Severus said. Harry gazed at him a moment, then nodded.

"She's not well either, in fact…well, the only comforting thing about it is she has returned to her parent's house. She's locked herself in her own room, refusing to come out no matter what we do. If Molly stops feeding her to goad her to the kitchen, she doesn't eat…she keeps saying that she's put everyone in danger and that she doesn't want to cause any more trouble."

"Well, she is probably safe enough there, although I wonder if there is any way you can convince her to answer a few questions I have about her duties before she left…"

"Well, well, well, what does we 'ave 'ere, mates?" called out a voice. Harry rolled his eyes and shook his head. "If it isn't Potter again! Still hoppin' about like a rabbit, Potter, but I sees ya made a mistakes tryin' ta catch yer breath."

"Bacchus," Harry said, turning around. "I see you brought your thugs with you." Severus turned around as well to see a rather small gnarled wizard pointing a wand at them, while behind them was none other than a drooling troll and a dim-witted giant both armed with clubs and looking like they weren't quite sure what was going on or even if the people in front of them were supposed to be friend or foes. Another wizard stood on the edge of a tall rock overlooking them and also had his hand out, his face and arms strangely mottled with tanned patches of skin interrupted by patches of skin of sickly white.

"Now, ye'll be so good ta not ta call my street boys thugs, they're a mite sensitive, _Auror_," he said, slurring the name Auror. At the word, the troll and giant looked a lot more interested in bashing them and only stopped because of other wizard barking an order for them to stay.

"Bacchus' street boys? Rather unoriginal name for a gang," Severus commented calmly.

"If you only knew," Harry murmured.

"And who is this dandy with you, Potter?" Bacchus asked.

"I know who that is," said the other wizard letting out a sound like a half of a laugh. "That's the recreant himself! Hullo, Snape! Heard you nailed Hogwarts, after Dumbledore 'mysteriously' disappeared. Bumped the old man off, did you?"

"If I were capable of taking out Dumbledore, Kurgan, I would be very worried of what else I am capable of, if I were you," Severus said in an almost casual tone. "And since we are technically on the boundary line of the school, you might do well to make an exit while you still can."

"Well, I would, but I haven't burned any wizards in a week," Kurgan said nastily.

"Nothing that a simple charm can't ward against, Kurgan, one that you as a fire sensitive can't cast, may I remind you," Severus said unconcernedly.

"An' let us remind you, teacher, dat we outnumber you, and any sort of bravado you put on isn't going to save you from dat fact," Bacchus said.

"I believe you've miscounted, not that we were worried," Harry said evenly. "As I see it, it's four on four."

"Where's your other two then?" Bacchus challenged. Harry made only the slightest of gestures up to the roof of the stone cottage where sat a large brilliantly red Phoenix, Farynor, let out a warble of agreement, while a crane of iron opened its bronze beak letting out a strange hiss. "Bloody fire bird from Hell," Bacchus murmured.

"Wait until you see what mine can do," Severus said, a dark fire behind his eyes as he too pulled out a wand.

"Crush! Bash! Ring their necks like chickens!" Bacchus said, but before the two dull brutes had time to figure out if Bacchus was talking about the wizards or the birds, both Harry and Severus went into action. Flames burst into air, and the ground rumbled violently as the stone beneath Kurgan's feet began to crumble. The Giant and the Troll came crashing forward swinging at everyone they didn't know, the Giant's fist bashing into the cottage as it attempted to hit the birds.

While Farynor flew out of range with the blatant indifference of a bird who had been through this sort of thing a thousand times before, Descartes immediately became agitated, baring a frightening amount of iron teeth hidden under its beak before he sunk them into the troll's arm. The Troll began to howl in pain, bashing the Stymphalian against the wall of the cottage to try and get it loose. Being made of metal, however, the cottage began taking more of a beating than did Descartes, so the Giant intervened, attempting to crush the bird with his heavy spiked club. He came down on Descartes' neck between the wing blades and the bird broke free, taking a piece of Troll flesh with it as it hit the ground, nearly choking on it before getting it down.

"That's my bird, you overgrown brainless idiot!" Severus snarled, taking something out of his pocket. Harry, who was in a harrowing battle with Bacchus who kept throwing paralyze spells at him glanced over to see the beans hit the ground by the giant's feet, immediately turning into vines that ripped him up off the ground at an alarming rate and viciously throwing him like a catapult, landing so hard he caused a landslide effectively put him out of commission.

"And that's my Giant!" Kurgan growled and let flames burst out of his fingers.

Severus hadn't been really worried; he had thrown up the hood on his cloak which was charmed against flame and heat. Of course, he had forgotten he had his good Headmaster robes, which he realized…once he saw the smoke coming up the part of his legs below the cloak line…had not been treated with such precaution. Quickly he reacted, patting out the fire while Kurgan's laughter echoed through the commotion.

"Kurgan, stop sniggering and get over here!" Bacchus said in a panicked voice, and Kurgan immediately saw that Harry had gotten the upper hand, the wizard's wand well out of reach while wizard ropes worked to bind him from getting it. But before he could come to his aid, Severus had recovered and was aiming again.

"Bash! Get Potter!" Kurgan got out, rolling back to his feet after narrowly dodging the freeze spell that had been launched towards him. The Troll, who had been staring at his arm waiting for it to heal itself, suddenly looked up as his name was called and barreled forward with his club despite the fact that his left arm still hung limp at his side. Out of nowhere came Farynor, giving the Troll a monstrous headache by pecking him fiercely on his dull-witted head.

But that didn't stop him from taking a few vigorous swings at Harry, who had trouble even keeping his feet steady as the ground shook from the charging creature. Harry didn't want to risk the binding spell on Bacchus getting dispelled, but as Bash took his club and brought it down to where Harry's head had been, Harry tackled Bacchus to keep him from running and then pointed his wand at the ground just as the club hit. It turned into a sticky mess of tar that took a fast hold on it. The Troll stood dumbfounded at the state of his weapon, making a futile attempt at getting it out. It was so distracted, in fact, that it didn't notice a very large ring horned goat coming up behind and butting him straight down into the tar pit. Farynor took to the air, warbling with obvious approval.

"Isn't the goat just a bit textbook? Even for you?" Harry complained to Severus as he finished tying up his prisoner. "The beans were bad enough."

"It worked, didn't it?" Severus snapped back, turning his attention back to Kurgan, who had a strange look on his face. "Trying to Apparate, are we? I already bound the area to prevent that, you'll just have to deal with your problems now."

"I think not," Kurgan said, and threw down a smoke potion, thinking to make a quick escape on foot. Harry didn't see exactly what happened, but knew Severus wouldn't be put off by anything of that nature. Instead, Severus simply barreled through it just in time to see him taking off down the other side. Sliding more than running, Severus headed down a steeper incline to cut him off. As Kurgan spied him, he hesitated, bringing his wand up to cause the rocks above Severus to fall, but his short pause had been enough.

"_Expelliarmus!"_ Severus growled and Kurgan's hand flipped him backwards from the sheer force of his wand ripping out of his hand. In no time, Severus was on him, and Kurgan found himself laying with the sun in his eyes and Severus' wand pointed at his throat.

"Do you know what happened the last time someone called me the recreant?" Severus said in a low, dangerous voice. "He killed himself after I gave him a taste of his own evil." Kurgan chuckled dryly and only got the tip of the wand pressed even more forcefully against him.

"My evil is no worse than yours, Snape. The only real difference between me and you is that Dumbledore spoke up for your sorry ass while I spent my time in Azkaban. All I've done after is attempt to make my own way in the world, same as you."

"And you do it by petty thievery, bullying, and burning houses," Severus pointed out.

"Yes, well, not many want a pyro on the payroll. Would you?" Kurgan said.

"Good point, actually, so we're both better off with you dead, I think. Any last words?"

"None come to mind," Kurgan said calmly. "None that I would divulge to you at any rate."

"It's all right, Severus, I've got him covered, you can put down the wand now," Harry said, his voice sounding strange.

"Why? He'll only get out of jail and come back after us the minute he's out," Severus reasoned.

"Just because you thrive on revenge, Severus, doesn't mean everyone does," Kurgan said calmly. "Everyone has their vices, and personally, I prefer money. The fun doesn't end the moment you acquire it, and there's no money in revenge. Now are you going to spell my head off or not?"

Just then, Severus lost his grip on his wand and it went flying out of range. He turned and stared at Harry, whose face was pale and rather grim.

"Do you really think I would have killed him?" Severus asked.

"Sorry, Severus, but with the way things have been lately, I'm not willing to take any chances," Harry said. "Now get up so I can bind him."

"Better luck next time, Snape," Kurgan sneered as Severus got up and snatched up his wand. "Although I admit I'd love to see what would go down if the two of you went dueling."

"I hope that's something no one will ever see," Harry said, gagging him first.

"Yes, I'm not certain I would want to see the outcome of that myself," Severus agreed, glancing over at Harry, who still looked wary. It was then Severus noticed he hadn't bothered to put away his wand. Shrugging off the scrutiny, Severus sent up sparks before finally putting it away.


	17. Severus and Alicia

_ A/N: Here you go, have another chapter. This one mainly is a follow up to an old storyline still unresolved, hope you like it. Thanks for all the reviews lately! Comments on those...no, Jennifer has far from forgiven Severus over keeping Lucky's presence from her, which is why she has no intention at all of telling Severus about his Godson's sneaking into the school underage. But it is true that Severus always has had a way with manipulating her emotions...it's the old, the more things change the more things stay the same routine.  
Rose...yep, Rose makes her first appearance in what, book four, I think? Even when I was finishing book Three and wasn't sure at that point if I was going to be able to take the series to the next level or not, Corey's intended had been long planned out as well as the direction the four kids were to take, with the ultimate goal of trying, testing, and yes, even wearing out one Severus Snape to get him to the position of understanding that would have to occur for him to be a good Headmaster. But it sure took awhile! Some characters are a bit more recent...Lucky is an idea hatched just as I was starting to form this short series, because it really needed a fresh and unique student point of view. Ambrose was only thought up in book fourteen, as a 'hook' to the Merlin story and completing the 'Full Circle' began in the Sentinel series. Ambrose, by the way, is a two meaning name; not only because it has Rose in the name, but it is also a Welsh name for Merlin. Even his disguise name has a couple of special meanings to it. But anyhow, you'll see more of him (and Lucky) as the story progresses, but first thing's first, and Severus has put off this conversation with Alicia long enough. JC Writer_

XVII

Severus and Alicia

Within moments, a team of Enforcers was on the scene led by Thomas Craw himself, who looked positively delighted.

"Harry, if this curse keeps up, you'll break a new Auror record. Twenty-eight arrests already this week, and these four will make it thirty-two," Thomas said cheerfully.

"I really don't want to break Alastor's record, thanks, I'd prefer for this curse to be over with!" Harry said, glancing at Severus.

"Well, I have some news for you then. Do you want the good or the bad first?" Thomas asked.

"Good," said Harry.

"Bad," said Severus at the same time.

"Well, I'll have to chose bad then, since after all this is a personal matter more than not," Thomas said, looking over at Severus. "I received word while I was visiting Aurelius that your waylaid daughter has returned to London in Alex's care. It seems the curse has indeed affected her."

"Is she all right?" Severus said, his expression unchanged and obviously not surprised.

"A matter of opinion I would say…she isn't physically damaged in any way, but…well, she can't see. She's gone completely blind and no doctor can seem to negate it," Thomas said.

"Is she at the hospital or at the house?"

"House, but I think you'll be relieved at my other news, Severus," Thomas said, stopping him before he could take off. "We've been able to locate Trelawney. She was found wandering around Anglesey…"

"Alone?" Severus interrupted.

"Yes, alone. The locals started some rumor that she was some sort of spirit or something…the Welsh authority went to check it out, they have her in custody out there but an Owl can bring her in at any time," Thomas said.

"Good, then let's get this over with and end this," Harry said, but Severus put up a hand.

"If we do it now we will never know why her accomplice aided her, and I for one will not be able to call this closed until I know," Severus said firmly.

"I thought you said you knew who it was, Severus…"

"Mere suspicions," Severus said, but then glanced over at where Kurgan was being carted off by the Enforcers. "But perhaps I was being too narrow-minded when it came to a motive."

"Let me go down there and talk to her, see if I can find out, Severus," Harry suggested.

"Perhaps you should, but I seriously doubt she will talk. If she was found on that isle there's only one thing on her mind. I seriously doubt she will talk to you about anything relevant, but I suppose we can hope. Tell me how it comes out. I need to take care of this family matter."

"Alicia won't want to see you," Thomas warned.

"Yes, well, if what you tell me is true she won't see me, will she? But it is about time she listened," Severus said, then Apparated.

Alexandria opened the door and immediately hesitated when she saw her father standing there, gazing at her with an even more serious expression than usual.

"Why, hello, Father. Something the matter?" Alex asked.

"Did I or did I not purchase this house?" Severus said flatly. Sheepishly, Alex cleared her throat and opened the door to let him in.

The house on Baker Street was relatively unchanged since Alex's not-so-subtle take over of the property, but there was the edition of a state of the art computer on the desk in one corner of the living room. Ben, who had had his eyes glued to that screen despite its close proximity to his nose suddenly stood straight up when he saw who was at the door.

"Don't worry, it's just him," Alex said dryly. Ben breathed a bit easier and sat down.

"I'm hardly here to continue one of Jennifer's lectures into the evils of electric gadgets contributing to 'late starts in families' and things like that, if that's what you were worried about. As far as I'm concerned ,it's none of our business," Severus said, while the couple grimaced at each other. "Besides, I have more descendents than I can deal with as it is. Where is she, Alex?"

"Um…" Alex gazed at him for a lot time. "She? What she, I'm not sure…"

"Let's just pretend you loudly protested on Alicia's behalf but had no choice but to show me upstairs on threat on bringing your mother here," Severus suggested.

"Better show him up," Ben agreed.

"Yes, you're a real help," Alex told her husband sarcastically. "She's up in her old room at the moment. But before you go up, I ought to warn you…"

"I imagine she's been behaving like a Snape over her condition, thank you, but it's time this thing is over," Severus said.

"She's not going to cooperate with a peace treaty," Alex said at the bottom of the stairs.

"No, but this time she can't really run from it either," Severus said on his way up.

The door was partially ajar, but as he quietly pushed it open, it took everything in his power not to listen to the voices in his head screaming because of the state of the room. Different colors of paint were splattered from one end to the other, on the walls, ceiling and over the furniture. In fact the only place without paint was the bedding itself, which had been changed by one of the resident Elves despite their obvious aversion to touching the rest of the room. A lump of bashed-in clay sat mournfully on the desk, partially dried out, while a layer of broken chalk, brushes, oil pastels and pencils littered the floor. There was so much of it, in fact, that there was little chance of Severus entering without being heard, not that he particularly wanted to be stealthy. He stepped in to get a better look at the girl sitting in the chair by the window, unmoving despite her eyes being open and obviously without ambition to do so.

"I told you already I'm not hungry," Alicia muttered.

"I'm hardly here to sympathize," Severus said, Alicia immediately jolting at the voice.

"What are you doing here? I can't believe she told you…"

"Alexandria told me nothing, your grandfather did," Severus said evenly. "Although I did learn a bit more after stopping at Mungo's."

"They said they can't help me, but I'm not surprised. There doesn't seem to be any fast cure for being a Snape!" Alicia said bitterly.

"That's not going to work either," Severus said calmly. "I didn't come here to be instigated or even to argue, I came to talk."

"Does it mean anything different to you?" Alicia challenged him.

"Does it to you?" Severus asked. "Tell me, did this blindness happen gradually, or overnight?"

"Playing detective again, are we?" Alicia asked.

"What I'm not playing is games," Severus said in a firmer voice. "By your own choice, you have disowned me as family on the basis that you believe I don't treat you as an adult, yet at the same time you continuously fail to act like an adult when you are around me." Alicia suddenly clamped her mouth shut.

"You really are a lot like your mother," Severus sighed, "even if your temper is a bit more malicious. Never mind where you got that from, that's hardly why I came. Perhaps I am doing a bit of my own investigating for the sake of my family, not that I wouldn't have been called in anyhow had it happened to someone else. But the curse is really only a secondary reason for coming, although I could only imagine what being so brutally severed from one's own calling must putting you through."

"It's hardly the first time I've felt my heart ripped in half," Alicia snapped.

"Which brings me to the primary reason of my visit," Severus said. "I think this estrangement between us has gone on long enough, and now that you're here out of necessity, I think it's time you chose to stop running for your own sake if for no one else's."

"I wasn't running so much as searching," Alicia said quietly.

"And that is why you avoided Britain like the plague? Bowed out of all family events, including holidays? Forced your mother to chase you around the globe to spend any time around you? Yes, well, I suppose she does have some attachment issues, but that is not the point. There is no reason whatsoever you shouldn't feel you cannot come home, whether you hate me or not."

"Why would I want to be here when I know that Pyther would stay as far away from you as he possibly could?" Alicia shouted.

"How do you know that he even cares?" Severus asked bluntly. Alicia suddenly burst into tears. Severus sighed. "Come, Alicia, you need a cup of tea and there's no way I can find you a cup in here. Let's go chat in the library."

"Why should I? You'll probably just put something in it," Alicia said defensively, but allowed him to help her up anyhow.

"Who do you think I am? I would hardly potion my own child, no matter how much she detests me. You don't trust me at all, do you?"

"Do you truly believe you have given me any reason to?" Alicia challenged him as he led her out and down the stairs. Alex peered around the corner curiously from where she stood behind Ben's computer desk.

"Perhaps not," Severus said as they passed. "Alex, send Trixie up with some tea would you? And some sandwiches?"

"I'm not hungry," Alicia said again.

"I never said they were for you," Severus said easily, leading down the hall and up the back stairs. Alex gazed over at Ben.

"Do you think he'll get through to her?" Ben asked.

"He'd better," Alex said. "It may be the only chance he has to patch this up."

"Have a seat," Severus said as he put Alicia's hand on the nearest chair. "I think it's time we got to the bottom of this problem. It has been seven years and the simple fact of the matter is Francis Pyther has probably moved on and found someone else by now, if he hasn't succumbed to daylight."

"How could you say such things!" Alicia said, completely aghast.

"It isn't anything you haven't already considered," Severus said easily, pouring a cup. "Along with the possibility that he perhaps completely forgot you, decided you were a silly schoolgirl who would never grow up, or, your favorite option, that you weren't worth the trouble of seeking out because of his indisputable fear of me. That, of course, is the easiest, for out of all the other worries you've been consuming yourself with over the years, it is the only one with a person other than yourself in it to blame is the one with me in it. I became the obvious scapegoat. Your anger at my sending him away has merely become an excuse to blame me, is that not so?" Alicia didn't say anything. She simply folded her arms. "Yes, well, perhaps you're not ready to admit it just yet, but that is the truth of the matter. And I know without a shadow of the doubt that somewhere in that stubborn skull of yours that you know I had no choice but to intervene when I did."

"Maybe then," Alicia admitted slowly, but immediately got angry again. "But what about now? Why am I still unable to find him now? I'm not a child anymore, you have no right to make decision for me any more…"

"It wasn't my spell, Alicia," Severus interrupted, taking her by surprise. "Yes, I caused it to happen and it was my decision to put it there, but considering who cast it, I couldn't do anything about it if I wanted to."

"Who?"

"Merlin," Severus said bluntly.

"Oh," Alicia said quietly. "Although, I can't believe you went to him with something like this…"

"Alicia, your powers as a youth astounded everyone, including me, and he was the only one I knew that had thwarted your attempts to run and succeeded. Up to this point I have failed miserably, but then, as you said, you are an adult now and I can hardly stop you," Severus said, then took a moment to hand her a cup.

"What's in this?"

"Tea, water, and Vertiserum," Severus said casually.

"That's hardly funny, Father."

"At least you recognize that I was being sarcastic," Severus said, "I suppose that's progress. As for the spell, it has been over seven years, yes, but I have no idea what will set it off. If it had been my spell, I would probably have set it up so that it would break the moment you were actually ready for what lies ahead, instead of when you think you're ready. With all that worrying you've been doing, have you truly taken any time to think about what sorts of problems you'll have and sacrifices you must make if the two of you did have a relationship?"

"Well, I suppose I would have to live in a cellar…"

"That would be the least of issues," Severus interrupted. "Even if he has found some humane way to get his blood supply, which knowing Pyther's aversion to other means he probably has done that, he is not technically alive. You wouldn't be able to have children, so the family question is out, and of course you would age and he would not. Not to mention that if anyone finds out what he is and how close his proximity is to decent people, he would be constantly run out of town."

"I'm already used to running, according to you," Alicia said coolly. "As to age, I was rather hoping you might help me with that."

"Alicia, putting promises I made to Dumbledore aside, don't you think people would get a little bit suspicious if the entire Snape clan suddenly ceased to age? After all, if I gave in to you I would have to give in to everyone, and you all have a dose in you as it is from one calamity or another."

"But there's also another way…I mean, there's research of people like Pyther being brought back…"

"Yes, and if you have done any sort of true reading on the subject, you'll know that the majority of vampires who attempt to regain their life only succeed in killing off what little of them remains."

"But there is a chance…"

"It's not your life, Alicia," Severus said with a frown.

"But supposing he did want it, there is a way, and you know more about time than anyone, so if something goes wrong…"

"So if something goes wrong, you will have me to blame again," Severus said, raising his voice above hers. "If I decline trying to help, you'll blame me. If anything goes wrong, again, you'll blame me, rather than admit the decision was in his hands alone. I will not become your scapegoat anymore, Alicia, in any sense. Besides, as far as time spent on this planet, Pyther has already been given nearly seven hundred years grace. If I were him, I wouldn't push my luck. It is unfair of you to ask such a thing of him or expect it, not to mention all together selfish. All I've heard from this conversation is about you and how you have become a victim. Have you once thought of how this entire situation has affected him, short of how it may change his feelings for you? This is not love, Alicia, this is something else. And I think it's about time you woke up and realized it, or you'll never get to where you really want to be." He paused, but Alicia hadn't moved, or hadn't really acknowledged that he had said anything at all. Still, he nodded, convinced that he had gotten his message across.

"Now, I am going to attempt to nab Sibyl's accomplice and end this curse within the next week or so," he continued, "but I very much hope that you learn how to see yourself a bit more clearly in the interim. If not, well, I suppose my part in this is done, and if our relationship and your relationship with this family continues to disintegrate, you will have no one to blame but yourself."

Severus turned and left then, and angrily Alicia threw her cup of tea and curled up in the chair, sobbing softly and putting a pillow over her ears as if wishing that sense had been stolen from her as well.


	18. Class Interruption

_A/N Two chapters yesterday, don't miss Severus and Alicia. Also, because of the issues with published stuff not being available, some of you may have missed, 'Sorting Secrets' so you may want to double check your chapters :) JCWriter. _

XVIII

Class Interruption

Lucky couldn't help but be a little envious at how Bill fell so neatly into place over the first couple of weeks. In some ways, it was almost as if the entire school had been created a thousand years ago just for him. He got along with everyone, even the testier of students. He always knew what to say on any given occasion. And he breathed in everything new he encountered like a breath of air fresher than any he had taken in his life before that moment.

But if Bill was a salmon in this river, Lucky was most definitely a wet chinchilla. Eating on a schedule, let alone sleeping on a schedule, let alone doing anything _at all_ on a schedule, reminded Lucky of juvenile hall more than what she knew of as school. Even stranger, none of the teachers seemed even _remotely_ afraid of the students, nor could a class disruption get so out of hand that a teacher couldn't with a single snap of the fingers bring it back to order again.

Attempting to 'cut up' in class ended her a lukewarm reception at best from the other students, and her stories of New York did not impress most of her classmates. Many of her fellow Gryffindors would furrow their brows at her as if in attempt to figure out what she was saying and give up, while some of the older students would simply shake their heads as if not believing a word of what she was saying.

The problems outside of her house for the most part were much worse, and there had already been more than one incident she had attempted to stick up for herself in the halls only to be carted away by one teacher or another who gave her warnings and point losses. Only Bill seemed to be supportive, and loved to listen to her rattle on about her old life, even if he didn't necessarily understand everything she was saying.

Having no better options (and after not particularly enjoying Hermione's idea of detention, which involved writing out the first fifty pages of the _Encyclopedia of Magic Volume "A-As,"_) Lucky decided it was in her best interest to do what she could in her classes. But outside of them, Lucky found herself in a constant state of restlessness and boredom, often using her time to explore the grounds or parts of the castle she wasn't familiar with. Most of the time she went alone, but when Bill's classes coincided with hers or he had a study period free he came along too, listening to her when she was in a talkative mood, but content also to be a silent companion when she wasn't. That morning, though, Bill was rather worked up, and chased her down right after breakfast.

"I just _knew_ he was up to something last night," Bill said excitedly, showing her a copy of the Daily Prophet. "When I was coming back from the library, Snape walked past me smelling like cinders, I was sure he was gone on some sort of adventure. And so he was, making headlines again: _ '_Famous Auror Harry Potter and Headmaster Snape capture wanted Dark Wizard gang'. See?"

"Bacchus' Street Boys?_ Qué el nombre estupido!"_

"Yeah, pretty impressive, huh?" Bill said cheerfully.

"And who is this Auror guy?" she asked. Bill stared at her for a long moment, very much like her fellow Gryffindors often did when she said anything, but then finally grinned.

"Oh yeah, I keep forgetting you're not from around here…rather strange, I know, considering you do have a foreign accent…"

"Get to the point, _chico._"

"Right…well, an Auror is someone who catches criminals, and there's none more famous than Harry Potter," Bill explained with a grin.

"So he's a cop," Lucky said.

"Sort of a step above that, really," Bill said. "But they do often work along side the Enforcers, of course. Anyhow, it says they took on not only two dark wizards but a troll and giant too! That's pretty amazing, don't you think?"

"I don't know. I'm not sure I believe in giants and things," Lucky said.

"Next you'll be saying you don't believe in magic," Bill shook his head at her with a smile. "You really are lucky, you know that?" he added, and then immediately changed his tone. "Let's go ahead and walk to Potion's. I want to go ahead and set up before Professor Craw gets in there. I'm so glad that Arithmantics class of yours made you take Potions with us instead of with Slytherin and the rest of your house. You make it much more interesting!"

"_Sí,_ but why are you always in a hurry to go to class?" Lucky complained, but followed behind him anyhow.

"What, I thought you liked school," Bill said.

"I like learning. I hate public institutions," Lucky said. "Trying to fit as many people as they can into the same mold. In New York I was my own boss, with no one around to tell me what to do. Here, everybody tries to tell you what to do, and it's all work all the time."

"Well yes, but, how else are you going to learn anything?" Bill said.

"Experience is the best teacher, _mi amigo,_ there ain't nothin' you can't learn on the streets of New York."

"How about not using double negatives?"

"Nobody likes a smart ass," Lucky said, nudging him. "You just don't understand is all! Not long after I discovered I had a knack of picking numbers and things, I helped an old lady win a lot of money and she gave me half of it. And you know what I did? I put nearly all of it into a metro card, because then the city was mine for the taking! I rode the train for hours, wandering the basement shops, buying hot dogs off the streets and then…it hit me. Here I was, standing on Manhattan island and the smell of money was everywhere; in every building and in all the bustling crowd, and not a pocket needed pinched from me to climb as high as I wanted, to the penthouse even, and I did not need nobody else to do it! That was when I knew I was going to break the system someday and make it for myself, understand?"

"Not a word of it," Bill said cheerfully. "But it all sounds fascinating!"

"It means I'm only lucky if I actually use my luck," Lucky said.

"I suppose that makes sense," Bill said thoughtfully. "And that's how you got here, isn't it?"

"I guess so," Lucky said with a shrug. "But I don't know if I made the right choice yet. So far I don't see how this is going to get me where I want to be. Uniforms…following rules…it's almost too much to take at times. I took to the streets to get away from this kind of authority!"

"You made the right choice," Bill assured her, pausing a moment outside the door to the lab. "Give it some time, that's all you need. Besides, I'd be lost without you."

"Well, you are pretty hopeless at times," Lucky agreed. "Come on, if things get boring I'll just try to blow up the lab again."

"Hope it works better than your last attempt," Bill said, following her in.

The two of them had their labs set up before the rest of the students arrived, and Lucky was already going through her very elaborate potion kit to see what she had that might liven things up a bit. It had a little bit of everything, even rather rare ingredients…in fact, the only one who had one anywhere near as elaborate was Bill. The rest of the class had standard potion kits that came right off the shelf of Willowby's Wands and Weeds.

"You actually have a few components I don't have. I have double phials in some," Bill said as they went through them. "Things he thought I might run out of halfway through the year…"

"Who's he, your father?" Lucky asked curiously. Bill never talked about his family at all, and it was obvious the mention made him uncomfortable.

"My father, sure," Bill said.

"Is your father a Muggle?" asked a girl sitting behind them, and Bill turned to see Delia Agate, a fellow Hufflepuff, gazing at him curiously.

"No, no, a wizard, of course," Bill said defensively.

"Really? I've never heard of him before."

"Like you would know," Lucky said in annoyance.

"Well, my father is one of the Owl Keeper's for the London Owl Postmaster. I help him in the summer so I see a lot of names, that's all," the girl said. "Although it's really nothing to be embarrassed about, if you are one. I was just curious."

"He's from Canada," Bill said after a moment. "Very famous there too, I'm surprised you never heard of him. I'm named after him," he added. "He's an Auror. They sent me to school here because…well, to keep me out of harm's way, you know."

"Really?" Delia said thoughtfully. "So that's why you two are such good friends then, I suppose, being over the pond, practically neighbors and all of that! Although you really don't _sound_ very Canadian…but then again, Lucky doesn't sound very American either."

"Why don't you mind you own business, you bitchy mother f…." Lucky suddenly choked. Bill cried out in concern as Lucky pawed at her mouth, pulling out a rather large bar of soap. The class began to laugh as she futilely began to wipe her tongue with her sleeve to try to get the taste out of her mouth, but they hurriedly settled down when Professor Craw, looking exhausted and unusually unkempt, appeared in the office doorway.

"What in the world is going…oh, no, Lucky, please don't start all of that again today, it's bad enough you forced me to put that charm on the room as it is," Jennifer said tiredly as she headed over to her desk. "Please, everyone face forward and open your books, and send up that homework I gave you on basic salve formulas," she added, leaning on the desk for support. "Oh, and Lucky, do you have that extra worksheet I gave you on metric conversion finished yet?"

"Oh, um, no…I think I left it somewhere or something…" Lucky improvised.

"Well, make sure you'll bring it tomorrow. Anyone with as much number sense as you ought to be able to make the switch to…to…" Jennifer suddenly felt as if she couldn't breathe and crumpled to the floor, the entire class jumping up in surprise.

"Jackie!" Lucky blurted out in alarm. Bill ran over to her side and turning her over and propping her head up.

"Someone had better get the doctor," Delia said.

"And the Headmaster," Bill added, and Lucky nodded, darting out the door.

As luck would have it, however, she didn't have to go far. Standing in the hallway near the stairwell, Severus was in some sort of casual discussion with Professor Weasley over foreign exchange students.

"Professor! Professor, it's Craw, you need to come, _pronto,_" Lucky blurted out, Severus cutting off his sentence to stare at her.

"Why, what have you done this time, Fortuna?" he squinted.

"Not me, her! She fainted or something, I don't know for certain…she did not look so good…" Lucky explained, having to almost jog to keep up with Severus' long strides as he headed down the stairs to the dungeons.

"Do you think she is dead?" one of the other students asked pensively.

"No, she's breathing," Bill said, looking up as the Headmaster came in. "She just fell over, mid-lecture. That's not like her at all!"

"I should say not," Severus said, waving at them to get out of the way.

"Shall I call Sagittarius down?" Hermione asked.

"He would never make the stairs down here. I'll take her up. Hermione…why don't you deal with the class?"

"Of course, Professor Snape," Hermione nodded solemnly as he carried her out. The moment he was out of sight, the class all began to talk at once. "All right, all right, everyone take your places, I'm sure she'll be fine and there's nothing to worry about," she said in a firm voice. "Turn your pages to thirty-four, I believe you were going to start on basic reaction experiments, I think? Bitterroot salve, correct?"

"How in the world do you know what we're working on?" Bill asked in surprise. Hermione gazed at him a moment then flipped over the paper she took off the desk.

"Class notes, of course. Besides, as Deputy Headmaster, it's my job to know what the rest of the faculty is teaching. Now, take to your seats at once. I won't have you getting behind because of this…this little incident," she finished. "If I have to say it again, someone will be losing some points." Quickly the class got back to their seats, and Bill exchanged a worried look with Lucky as they sat down. Bill had a hard time concentrating after that, and Lucky very quickly decided that the class had more than enough excitement that day and dutifully did the lab as it was supposed to be done.


	19. The Substitute Potion Master

XIX

The Substitute Potion Master

Word in the school spread quickly, and by dinner everyone was talking about what had happened earlier that day. The Hufflepuff table was no exception, and Bill sat down to find his other classmates being grilled for details.

"I can't believe they even made you stay the whole class," said Terrence Gable, the sixth year prefect. "Professor Weasley simply came into ours five minutes after the class was supposed to start, gave out homework, and told us to come back tomorrow, just like that."

"Is Craw even going to be back tomorrow?" Delia asked.

"No one really knows for sure," Terrence said. "They weren't in the Hospital Wing when I went there. I don't know if they're looking after her in her room or if they're even in the castle still."

"They?" Delia repeated.

"Of course, you don't expect the Headmaster to stand idle while his wife is ill, do you? It's a part of that curse they've been talking about in the papers, I'm sure of that," Terrence said, turning back to his food.

"Yeah…" Bill murmured, thinking back to that night he got into the research library.

"Is that who I think it is?" Delia said a few minutes later, interrupting his thoughts. The sound in the room had dropped dramatically, so curiously Bill turned to see a woman in ornate purple robes and a timeless serene face walk into the room, her mere presence commanding attention. Hermione walked beside her, leading her over to the Gryffindor table and to where Lucky was sitting.

"That's Counselor Vallid," Bill murmured.

"Counselor Vallid? The world's leading Truth Seeker?" Terrence said with interest.

"And one of the best legal representatives in the world!" Delia said in awe.

"Yes, I hope Lucky isn't in any trouble," Terrence said with concern.

"Think she's come to take her back to the States or something? She never really did fit in here."

"Oh, shut up, Delia," Bill said angrily, watching as Lucky stood up. Delia immediately focused in on him.

"Well, if you're worried about it, why don't you go talk to her? I mean, if your father is as famous as you say, she'll know about him, won't she?" Delia challenged him.

"I don't know, she's still from a different country after all…" Bill said quickly.

"Still, it is in her field. Perhaps she does know him," Delia pressed.

"Well, you may have a chance to find out, since she seems to be coming over," Terrence said casually. Startled, Bill looked around to see that Vallid's curious eyes were directly on him. Saying something to Lucky she strode over to them, Lucky and Hermione not far behind.

"And just what are you doing here?" Vallid asked him.

"Wondering what you were doing here, I suppose," Bill said nervously.

"So you _do_ know him?" Delia said with obvious surprise. "Do you know his father then too?"

"Yes, I've had an occasion to meet him once, and it was a great honor I will never forget," Vallid said with a nod. "But I know his mother better. How is she?"

"Well, thanks," Bill said meekly. Hermione looked between them with a strange expression on her face.

"Good. I'm sure she misses you greatly. Does she know you're well?"

"Yes, Counselor," Bill assured her.

"Good, that makes me feel better. Now, if you'll pardon me…"

"Excuse me, Counselor, for asking but…is his father as famous in Canada as Bill says he is?" Delia pressed. Bill gave her a dirty look, but Vallid was quite unfazed.

"He's famous everywhere. But if I were you…_Bill,_ I would be a bit more discrete about telling any stories about him. It may give your friends a wrong impression. I will see you some other time," Vallid said with a thin smile, nodding to Hermione. Lucky gazed at Bill with a questioning expression on her face before answering their calls and following behind them.

"I am sorry, Bill," Delia said quietly when they walked away. "I mean, well, I didn't believe you earlier, but if Counselor says it, it must be true."

"It's all right, Delia," Bill said uncomfortably, poking at his food. Why? Why would a counselor known for her honesty stick up for him like that?

He was still thinking about it after he had finished eating and began to wander towards the library, a couple of books filled with homework in hand. It was there that Lucky caught up with him again, calling out his name and stopping him before he could go in.

"You will want to hear this," she insisted, making sure no one else was around.

"What? Are you in some sort of trouble?" Bill asked with concern.

"No, no, not me, but Snape maybe," Lucky said, lowering her voice even more. "Professor Craw has not recovered, and the Headmaster has gone to look after her. They are on leave until further notice, and no one would tell me where they went! The judge is here to keep an eye on me."

"Poor Aun…Professor Craw," Bill said, quickly covering what he was about to say.

"That curse they been talking about must have been worse than everyone thought," Lucky sighed.

"No, no, I knew it was bad," Bill murmured. "Is Professor Andrew still here?"

"Yes, I think, but Professor Weasley seems to have her hands full. She said something about having to meet some exchange students, but now she has to find a replacement for Jackie and everything and doesn't know how to keep this from leaking out and all, you know how the press eats this stuff up…and something about hurting interschool relations but I don't understand all the politics here yet to figure out what that crap was about."

"They're going to replace Professor Craw? Snape too?" Bill asked in alarm.

"Well, they are getting a sub for Potions, I know…I think Weasley is going to fill in until Snape gets back if I heard all that right. But I don't like them not being here, it don't seem right for this to happen all the sudden," Lucky said.

"I don't like it either," Bill said, gazing at her with concern mirroring her own. "This whole curse business has gone on long enough. It must be stopped."

"Don't you think that's what Snape left to do?" Lucky asked.

"Well, yes, although…" Bill paused a moment, then shook his head.

"_Qué?"_

"Nothing, forget it," Bill said.

"No, you should finish what you start to say," Lucky insisted. As if he hadn't heard, Bill went into the library and Lucky sighed, following close behind. He then passed by several empty tables to get to the one that he wanted, glancing down each aisle of books before finally positions himself across from it. Lucky then attempted to sit across from him but he quickly protested, pulling out the chair beside her instead. "What is with you, _chico?_ You are acting all crazy all the sudden."

"Do you know what that door back near the Restricted Section leads to?" Bill whispered.

"Yeah, to a staff only room. I know that because there's a sign that says, 'Staff Only' on the door."

"And you call me a smart ass," Bill muttered in annoyance. "That's a research library for the faculty, with books in it, loaned by the Professors, too rare even for the restricted section."

"Okay, so what?" Lucky said impatiently. "It's just another room with books in it, no matter how rare they are, and books are just another person's opinion on things. Take it from me, _chico,_ you need to get your nose out of books and try living for a change, you'll learn that way than from some dry-rotting tome…"

"And I would suggest," snarled a Goblin's voice so close behind them that they both jumped in their seats, "That you would both learn more from a dry-rotting tome if you actually opened it, instead of using the library for a place to mutter at each other!"

The two of them immediately reached for their books and their homework while Boulderdash eyed them both dangerously, his squinty beady eyes staring mercilessly at them from behind gold rimmed glasses. As they fervently began to do their work, Librarian Boulderdash harrumphed and stalked back to his desk, keeping an eye on them from a distance.

Often Bill would look up and stare hard at the door, eager to get even a peek at the crystal he knew was on the other side. But as Tangent passed them and went into the back room, Bill realized with some disappointment that the door opened outwards, blocking his view of the room. How could he explain to Lucky about what had happened with him and the crystal without betraying who he was, he wondered…not that he completely understood what had happened himself. But he was certain that the crystal had something to do with this whole situation, and what was more he felt an intense urge to see it again, as if it were calling to him.

Bill didn't sleep well that night, troubled my images of the Death Avatar floating through his dreams, and worrying about what was going to happen next. Surely the Headmaster had some plan, he told himself…but at the very same time, part of him worried what would happen if he didn't. He cried softly in his pillow as his fears and his imagination ran away from him, and at one point he even considered running back home where he was sure his mother would make everything feel safe again. Without the Headmaster in the school, nothing felt safe to Bill, but covering his head with a blanket didn't seem to help at all. He felt like he was being watched, and he couldn't make up his mind if it was more terrible to lay there awake or to brave the chilly room and get up early to wait for the morning _Prophet_ and hopefully hear some better news.

His thoughts went to his mother again, and finally he got up to write her a letter, deciding right off the bat not to mention he was bothered by anything. After all, she would worry. Did she guess where he was at, he wondered? Aurelius had insisted on him assuring her that he was all right. But the more he wrote, the lonelier and more homesick he felt.

He was one of the first to show up for breakfast that morning, immediately pouring over the paper for any news.

"_Old_ news," Delia said when she saw how eager he was. "Think about it, by the time something happens, word gets back, a journalist sent, story edited and type settings placed, why, the situation may have well changed..."

"Oh, shut up, Delia," Bill said, cross from his restless sleep. "It's going to be newer than any news here."

"Lately this place has been the news," Delia said with amusement, but he tried to ignore her. "So what are you looking for?"

"Any mention of where the Headmaster and Professor Craw went, but there isn't any," Bill said.

"I wonder if that means we won't have Potion class," Delia suggested brightly.

"Professor Weasley gave us all homework for today, so I wouldn't count on it," Bill said then turned around, hoping to see Lucky. But what he saw instead was Professor Weasley coming out of the back, apparently attempting to shake off a the man in Professor's robes walking with an ornate cane as fast as he could to keep up. He was nearly as round as Professor Tangent, but much, much older, and quite persistent despite the fact that Weasley didn't seem at all interested in continuing the conversation.

"Be right back, I'm going to borrow some salt," Bill said.

"But there's some right there," Delia said, and Bill immediately unscrewed the lid and knocked it over. "You better pinch some and toss it over your shoulder, or you'll have bad luck…" she began, but he ignored her, getting up and walking casually over to the Gryffindor table, making a point to pass by where the Professors were standing.

"Well, all right, but you can't blame me for being a little concerned. I knew him as a boy, after all, he was in my class…brilliant student, of course, although I never imagined him getting this far. We've kept correspondence over the years, and the only reason I agreed to coming was because he asked me…I simply want to send him an Owl of encouragement."

"I am sorry, Horace, but I'm under strict orders not to tell anyone where they are," Hermione said as she continued to walk towards the main doors. "I am sure he appreciates you coming, all the same."

"Hey! What are you doing?" Lucky asked as Bill reached blindly for the salt, getting his hand smacked for his efforts.

"Oh, uh, I spilled the salt, can I borrow yours?" Bill said.

"I hope you tossed some over your shoulder then," Lucky advised, handing it to him.

"Who is that man speaking to Professor Weasley?" Bill asked.

"That's old Slughorn," Cedric said. "I guess he was the Potion master here a good fifty years ago."

"He looks ancient," Bill agreed.

"So he's taking over for Craw then?" Lucky said with a frown. "Guess I should do my homework."

"Guess you should have done it yesterday like Weasley told you to," Bill teased her.

"Well, go on ahead when you are done, I will catch up," Lucky said, dumping all her food onto her toast. Everyone stared as she made a sloppy sandwich and headed to the Gryffindor rooms to get her books while Bill headed back to his table. Delia gazed at him as he sat down, glancing at the table to find the House Elves had already cleaned up the mess he had made.

"Here's the salt," he said. "Looks like it's already been taken care of, hasn't it?"

"Except now you couldn't pinch what you spilled if you wanted to," Delia pointed out.

"Oh, come now, Delia, you're a witch! Surely you don't believe in such silly Muggle superstitions," Bill teased her.

"Suit yourself," Delia said sagely. "But you've only yourself to blame if your luck runs out."


	20. Slughorn

XX

Slughorn

Bill dutifully set up his kit as he always did before class, then meticulously turned every label in his kit to face forward while the rest of the students began to file in. He was so busy doing that that at first he missed the excitement of several girls standing by the Ravenclaw side of the room, but once he finished he noticed something was different. A girl he hadn't seen before was in the mix, although at first he couldn't really see her well as the others around her argued about where she was going to sit. She was tall, thin and heavily freckled with long red braids, and a shrunken demeanor as if intimidated with everything going on around her, but she smiled shyly when the other girls finally settled her into a place several rows back from the front.

It was just as the office door began to open that there was a flurry next to the entrance and Lucky dashed into the room, vaulting over one of the desks and startling the boy who was sitting there as she hopped into her seat, opening everything up just as Professor Slughorn waddled in, ornate cane in hand as he looked over the class with a smile.

"First years, first class, a fresh start to the day! I see everyone is well prepared, except perhaps for the lady puffing like the Hogwarts Express," he added, getting a round of laughter from the class. "Did someone sleep in…Miss ah…"

"Conejo," Lucky said, and the Professor's tone suddenly changed, a glittering in his eye.

"Ah, Miss Conejo! I have heard all about you, of course! You're the Arithmantics prodigy! Delighted to meet you, I hope you weren't terribly offended by my teasing, no real harm done. I was thinking of starting off with a lab experiment to see what you all have learned so far, but we can spend the first few minutes getting to know one another while you're setting up…especially since you're not the only one not prepared," he added, his eyes shifting to the new girl who just gazed back at him. "Well?"

"Your pardon, sir, but that's Juliette Darnay from Beauxbatons," said Kaylee, the girl sitting next to her. "Her English isn't all that great yet. I've been helping her."

"Ah! But I thought she was second year?" Slughorn mused, then glanced at a note on the desk. "Oh, I see, they don't give Potions first year there, only a class on component classifications and preparation? What a very wise idea! Helps keep the lab in one piece, I suppose, but of course, at Hogwarts, we've always preferred a hands-on sort of agenda, so you can get your feet wet right from the start!" Slughorn said enthusiastically, gazing at the rest of the class when Juliette didn't seem to respond. "Anyhow, I am Professor Slughorn, and I have agreed to cover for Professor Craw for the time being. You may not know me, but I used to work here before and taught some of your parents…well, maybe your grandparents…actually…well, let's just skip it. The point is I know a great many of your families and am eager to help another generation of witches and wizards see their true potential and become the leaders they were born to be." He smiled again, but now everyone seemed to be looking at him with the same blank look that Juliette was giving him. He cleared his throat. "Shall we start with a Sick-And-More Salve?"

Bill supposed he wasn't all that bad of a teacher; at least he seemed to know what he was doing. But Bill couldn't help but be more than a little annoyed when after learning his name, the Professor seemed to discount him, despite the fact he gave a few glib, encouraging words for his efforts. Instead, he lingered the most around Lucky, although he also spent time with Delia and the exchange student. Was it just Bill's imagination? It wasn't until later that Bill knew for sure. It was as they got to the point they were cleaning up and Slughorn asked them to send up their homework before they left.

"Juliette is excused, of course, since she didn't know of the assignment," he smiled understandingly at her. Juliette smiled timidly back. "Now, if you need help with your next one, feel free to come to me. I will even help you with your English!"

"_Merci, Professeur_, it eez thanks I 'ave for vous. Yez?" Juliette said hopefully.

"Good try, good try," Slughorn head with a tolerant smile, collecting the rest of the papers. "Now I hope the rest of you have it done! I'm sure Professor Weasley will not be pleased to learn that any of you didn't do what she asked of you…very neat and precise, Delia! I see you'll go far." He then passed several more students without a single word, including Bill, before pausing in front of Lucky who sheepishly handed it over. He tsked softly as he looked over the quickly scribbled pages.

"So this is what you were huffing and puffing about, I see. Wasn't expecting to see a replacement here so soon, is that it? I suppose in your position I may have not expected it either, and after all, you do have one more class than everyone else in your year," he reasoned with a wink. "So I suppose I can cut you a small break. I won't mention it to Professor Weasley, so long as you come in my office for lunch and recopy this neatly. I wouldn't want to begin my first day taking points off, and besides, I believe in starting things off on the right foot, don't you?"

"Yes, Professor," Lucky said, all too aware everyone was staring at her.

"Good! I'll let you hang on to this until then," he told her with a warm smile as he picked up the rest of the papers. "But don't work on it in your other classes, now. You can't live up to your potential if you don't learn to pay attention to your surroundings. It was good to meet all of you!" he added to the class, dismissing him. "And I will look forward to getting to know you better next time we chat!"

"Well, that was lucky, wasn't it?" Lucky murmured to him as they went out the door. "He doesn't seem so bad."

"I like Professor Craw better," Bill said immediately. Lucky looked at him in surprise.

"Hey, you know I do too," Lucky said. "I hope she's all right."

"Yeah, me too," Bill said thoughtfully. "Want to go to the library after dinner?"

"What, again?" Lucky complained. "Do you ever want to do anything but homework? They were talking about having this sparring thing going on tonight, you know…"

"It's not about homework I want to talk to you about," Bill said. "There's something I have to tell you."

"Okay, okay," Lucky said in exasperation. "Maybe I'll come after the sparring."

"All right, good, because…because there's probably something you ought to know, and I can't tell you here," Bill admitted. "Besides, I have Herbology next."

"Yeah well watch those Griffonlilies whatever you do. Sometimes a green thumb is not a good thing," Lucky warned.

"Don't worry about that, I've been weeding lilies since I was old enough to walk," Bill grinned, waving her down the corridor as he took off down the hall.

Lucky paused and gazed over at her friend, realizing then just how little she knew about him. Did the schoolwork come easy for him then because he had grown up with magic? Except for Arithmantics and maybe Charms, it didn't come easy to her. Not that she wasn't at the top of her classes too, but much to her dismay, she sometimes felt she had to work at it and often felt like she was playing catch-up, even though nothing could have been further from the truth. Now she had Transfiguration, which often lost her completely at times, but that was not the class she dreaded most….that would come after. Not for the first time, and certainly not for the last, Lucky seriously considered finding a valid excuse of missing or skipping broom lessons.

By lunch, she very sincerely wished she had done just that. She arrived at the door of Slughorn's office with Fix-me-up Bandages still on her elbows and a slightly weakened arm from just having it mended from its broken state.

"Come in, come in, goodness you're a mess! But don't you fret, you're not the only person who's fallen off a broom! Why, Gwenog Jones herself used to take a tumble now and then when she was a student!" Slughorn said, insisting on telling her a story about a Quidditch match that was absolutely undeniably lost on Lucky. She did try to listen as intently as she could, and understood it had to do with some sport and some attempt to cheer her up, but at the end of the long winded speech, she couldn't help but asking what Quidditch was. Slughorn's face fell for a split second. "Well, you'll get the hang of it…here now, just sit here and do your work, comfortable enough? There are sandwiches too, if you need them," he said as she sat down.

"I'm fine, thanks," Lucky said, getting out her work.

"Would you prefer something else? I can be very flexible," he said. Suddenly he smiled as if he were amused about something. "Although it doesn't come as easily as it used to. But yes, if you need help, just ask. I know things must be a trial to you right now."

"Not really," Lucky said, not sure where this was going.

"Well I mean, well, I know, of course, that Professor Snape is your guardian," he said.

"Aaaah, _yo comprendo_, Professor. I am used to people like that disappearing on me. There is no need to worry about me."

"Used to it?" Slughorn said, puzzled.

"Adults that take me in always end up having something happen to them. It's like I steal the luck out of them or something, that's why I normally live alone. I thought maybe being wizards and stuff the Snapes wouldn't, but I'm not surprised," Lucky shrugged, turning to her work.

"I'm sure your presence had nothing to do with it, although I'm really not at liberty to speak of it…"

"It was a curse. Judge Vallid told me yesterday."

"Judge Vallid is here?" Slughorn said with surprise.

"Yes, she is my guardian too," Lucky said, peering at her scribbles and frowning when she couldn't read her own writing. "You are right, this is a mess."

"My goodness, it was good of such a busy woman to cancel her schedule to come here on your behalf," Slughorn said, slightly impressed. "All the same, I can't help but feel concerned about the Snapes, as I'm sure you are. You wouldn't happen to know where I can send them an Owl?"

"What's an Owl?" Lucky said. Slughorn stared at her in a moment in the same way the Gryffindors often looked at her.

"Never mind, Lucky, you just finish your work. Help yourself to the sandwiches, no really," he insisted with a smile. Reluctantly Lucky took a sandwich and tried to concentrate on her work, despite the fact she found herself wondering if that was what Mark would look like in a hundred years. She was also slightly disappointed that he hadn't even attempted to tell her what an Owl was, it might have proved quite entertaining…she would have to include the incident in her next note to Vallid.

The library was almost vacant that night when Bill arrived, sitting at a table where he could see the majority of students coming in, even if it did block his view from the door. He had seen several Professors heading towards the back also, and he frowned. Well, of course it would be heavily used now when they had no classes, he thought. But how late would they stay? He had no real way of knowing. Surely on a weekday not so late as they might, considering they would have classes the next day. Of course, that didn't solve his main problem. How would he ever get in? He had to get in somehow, that much he was sure. But every time he thought of it, he remembered that fateful morning when he had attempted to win his way to Hogwarts and lost. And instead of graciously losing, he had done anything but. A pang of guilt went through him as he thought of his deception again…it had been bothering him for some time. Of course, he could always go to Andrew about it. Then again, he had tried that route before.

"Just stick it out a little longer, Ambrose," Andrew had told him. "Just make it until Christmas when the big marks come out and we can prove you can handle the work. It'll be here before you know it, and then we'll stand by you and make it one big confession," he had reassured him with a smile.

But that too, played upon Bill's guilt, knowing that he had inadvertently gotten Andrew and Aurelius involved after Aurelius had tracked him down and gotten out of him his plan to try to disguise his way into Hogwarts. Now Bill realized he would have never gotten there without their help, and that only added to the pressure on the young boy. As much as he wanted to call it quits, the constant reminder of their sticking their necks out forced him into a taffy pull.

"Don't you _ever_ stop working?"

Bill looked up to see Delia and one of her girlfriends standing at his table where he was staring blankly at his Transfiguration book.

"Oh, actually I was just waiting for Lucky, really," Bill said.

"Well, don't expect to see your girlfriend any time tonight, she went to sparring."

"I know where she is, and she's not my girlfriend," Bill said.

"Well, my boyfriend went too, and he told me they wouldn't be done until right before curfew, so I hope you're not planning to stay past that," Delia said, the other girl whispering something to her as they walked away. Bill resignedly leaned his head against his hand, tossing his quill into the fold of his book. All right, if that's the way she was going to be, perhaps he would try to break in himself.


	21. Bill's First Detention

_A/N Yeah, Okay, so the title's a dead giveaway that he didn't succeed, but you _**really** _didn't think he was going to get in by himself, did you? (g) JCWriter_

XXI

Bill's First Detention

It was well after midnight when Bill slipped out of his room and nervously made his way down the hall. He froze only once when he heard a slight tsking sound, but when he looked around, he saw nothing but the sleepy paintings that didn't seem to be interested in him in the slightest. Pushing his heart back out of his throat, Bill kept going down the stairs.

The sound of his footsteps sounded incredibly loud in the empty halls, so much so he finally took off his shoes and tied the laces, hanging them around his neck before continuing. His breath sounded loud to him, but there was very little he could do about that. He was already near the library, and somehow managed to enter despite the urge to turn around the other way. But at last he found himself standing by the research library door, wand in hand, and wondering what he could try.

Suddenly the handle turned, and Bill dove behind a bookshelf just as it opened, dislodging a book in the process as someone came out of the back room. Panicking, he closed his eyes and covered his mouth, quite certain that he was caught now. But seconds ticked by, and nothing happened. Finally he opened his eyes. Had he just imagined it? He slowly bent down and reached for the book, carefully putting it back in place before peering around the corner. Then he had to do a double-take.

The door was open. What luck! Whoever had come through had forgotten to close it! Carefully he stepped closer and peered in, then frowned, for he saw nothing but a bookcase. Where was the crystal? Wasn't there a center isle? Bewildered, he tried to take a step forward and ended up knocking his foot against hard wood, the image of the bookcases beyond fading and the door appearing. Bill cried out in both surprise and pain, but became even more surprised when the open door behind him suddenly shrank and turned into a person, and in a split second his wand yanked out of his hand and forcefully turned around by Professor Slughorn.

"Mr. Kingfisher! What in Merlin's beard are you doing down here at this hour? You practically scared me to death!" he scowled.

"I scared you?" Bill said, still panting. "How did you do that?"

"I'm the one who'll be asking the questions if you don't mind, Mr. Kingfisher, and you'll answer my query to what _you_ are doing here."

"I was…borrowing a book…"

"Borrowing a book," Slughorn repeated in obvious disbelief. "Come on, you are coming with me," he said, grabbing him by the collar. "You have a lot of explaining to do and such a flippant excuse does not hold water with me."

"Would it hold water if I was Lucky?" Bill retorted. Slughorn's face darkened.

"That's ten points from Hufflepuff for your tongue, on top of whatever else your advisor gives you for being out at this hour! Now, march!" he growled, giving him no choice whatsoever in the matter, for the teacher obviously had no intentions of letting go of him.

As they started up the hall towards his office, Slughorn couldn't help but be surprised to hear voices in front of them. Well, he could hardly investigate his normal way with a boy attached to his fist, he decided, but quickened his pace dramatically. Bill began to protest loudly as he was practically dragged to where the hall crossed another corridor. The noise made Hermione and the student beside her look up in surprise.

"Professor Slughorn!" Hermione said. "And Mr. Kingfisher, what on earth are you doing up?"

"It seems we're having a regular epidemic," Slughorn said, nodding to the thirteen year old boy in Slytherin robes beside her. "I found this one in the back of the library."

"Oh, this one was sneaking into the kitchen. I'm afraid our Durmstrang student here doesn't appreciate our food," Hermione said.

"Vell, da food here sucks," he shrugged.

"That's enough out of you, and if you keep that up, you won't have anything but bread and water tomorrow," Hermione threatened him.

"Do you t'ink I care?" he scoffed.

"Well, perhaps it is a culture shock for him, Professor, but this one definitely has no excuse lurking about the library with a wand in hand," he said, shaking the wand in his hand vigorously. The boy beside Hermione looked at the wand curiously then over at the younger boy, who stood with his mouth clamped. "He said he was there to borrow a book, but I say he was up to no good."

"I should think so," Hermione said, frowning at Bill. "Professor, might I have a quick word?"

"Eh? Oh," Slughorn said, letting go of Bill's collar. "You stay right here, Kingfisher," he warned him.

"It'll only be a moment, Mr. Runestein," Hermione said briskly as the two of them walked further up the corridor.

"Nice vand," Runestein murmured, and Bill looked over at the dark-haired boy in surprise.

"Huh? Oh, wand, yeah," Bill said.

"Did you point dat at him?" he asked thoughtfully.

"What? No, of course not! I only had it out to…well, it was dark, I was being cautious," Bill said, slightly annoyed. "Not that it's any of your business."

"I got caught because of da House Elves," the boy said casually. "Vut about you?"

"Oh, I thought he was a door," Bill said, then grimaced when he realized what he had just said. "Don't ask."

"Is hard to put t'ings over on dese teachers. Dey find out everyt'ing," he muttered.

"Well, not everything," Bill said.

"I vouldn't be so sure if I vere you," Runestein advised. "I cannot keep a secret here to save my live."

"All right Bill, Sigiwalt," Hermione said, and the two of them looked up to see both the Professors walking back over. "You're both coming with me to talk to your advisors now. Come, Bill, let's drop you off first."

"From now on, you'd better watch your step. I'll be keeping my eye on the both of you," Slughorn warned them. Runestein suddenly turned and glared viciously at Bill, although he wasn't quite sure why.

The next morning, Bill dragged himself into the Great Hall late…most had already finished their breakfast. Including Lucky, who jumped up the moment he came in went over to him.

"Sorry I couldn't meet you, but the sparring ran over," Lucky explained.

"Yeah," Bill said.

"You should have gone, it was fun. We absolutely toasted Slytherin, even that new kid from the other school ended up flat on his back. Want to get together after dinner tonight? Then I can tell you about it…"

"I can't, I have detention," Bill snapped angrily.

"Huh? What did you do?" Lucky said curiously.

"Something more important than trying to flatten a house in meaningless violence! You know, the way you act, I might think you don't even care that Craw and Snape are gone, let alone the rest of the family."

"Well of course I do, _chico,_ but it's not like there isn't anything I can do about it…"

"You don't even care enough to try!" he shouted. Everyone turned to stare at him and he sighed, lowering his voice. "I was always taught not to really believe in luck, you know, but in your case, there really isn't any other explanation that you're here at Hogwarts, is there? Because you don't deserve to be here, and you definitely don't deserve them! And yes, perhaps I don't deserve to be here, but I don't abandon people I care about at the first sign of trouble, either!"

"Bill, come on…"

"Find someone else to tell your stories to!" Bill said, stomping off to his table. Lucky stared over at him a moment before sitting back down again, trying to digest what had just happened.

"There you are. Telling Kingfisher about your first sparring victory, I suppose," Cedric said with a fork in one hand and _The Composition of Magic Minerals_ in the other.

"No, I didn't get that far," she murmured.

"Too bad you can't handle a broom like you handle a wand. We might have had a chance against Slytherin's Quidditch team this year," he said, looking wistfully over towards where Mary was sitting.

"Cedric, do you know where the Headmaster is staying?" Lucky asked.

"No one knows," Cedric said with a shrug.

"Well, I was just thinking maybe your father knew."

"He's got his hands full right now staying alive," Cedric said, lowering his voice. "It's terrible what they're going through, isn't it? They say Professor Black…I suppose you don't have her yet…but she's lost her magic, and Uncle Sirius is in St. Mungo's and Mum…" his voice faltered. "Well, the sooner this is over with the better for everyone. In fact, I don't know why it isn't over all ready!"

"Did you see the headlines today?" Reggie Weasley put in from the other side of Cedric. "Word leaked out that Alicia Snape has gone blind…can you imagine? A world famous painter who can't see, poof, just like that, all because of this curse," Reggie said. "Bet that came as a bit of a blow to the Headmaster. And from the rumors I've been hearing from his behavior, I don't think he's going to be able to keep it together long enough to get rid of this thing."

"He'll keep it together, and he'll get rid of the curse," Cedric said firmly. "Father's sure of it and I'm sure of it, and don't let me hear you say anything different again."

"All right, don't get snippy. It's not like I want an insane Headmaster either," Reggie said defensively.

"Why do I keep getting hooked up with these kinds of people?" Lucky suddenly asked herself and got up, storming away from the table. Reggie stared after her, while Cedric merely sighed.

"I hope she didn't mean us," Reggie said, crunching on a piece of bacon thoughtfully.

As the day wore on, Lucky's attention span grew shorter, barely able to finish even her Arithmantics test, let alone something like History or Transfiguration. She poked at her dinner, often glancing over at the Hufflepuff table. But she never once caught Bill's eye. He was busy talking to Delia, who for a change seemed quite enthusiastic about keeping up a conversation. One by one, students got up to see to their studies, and Lucky was still fiddling with her food, despite the fact it was getting cold. But as more people left, Lucky noticed something out of place, and realized it was the fact that all of their cups, plates and napkins were still on the table. Usually they disappeared the moment everyone got up, but not this time.

"What is wrong with the tables?" Lucky found herself asking out loud. Cedric, who had finished some time ago, was staring at his watch as if waiting for something. He looked around then, noticing it for the first time.

"Oh that. Well, either the House Elves are on strike, which is highly unlikely, or someone has the Great Hall for detention tonight," Cedric said, glancing at his watch again. But Lucky gaped.

"They wouldn't make one person do all of this, would they?" Lucky asked with alarm.

"Depends on what they did, I imagine," Cedric said. "At least it wasn't one of us. I'd look to a Slytherin or a Hufflepuff as being the culprit. They're the ones who lost points last night. I got to go," he said suddenly and got up. Lucky sighed and got up herself, deciding she didn't want to be the very last person to leave. That was when she realized that Bill was one of the few remaining.

She walked practically all the way to Gryffindor tower before she started to feel heavy hearted. She was staring at the portrait of the Fat Lady before she finally turned back. Down the stairs she went, pausing only for a moving staircase before heading back to the Great Hall to find the doors had been shut. Cautiously she pushed the door open a crack and peered inside.

Sitting in the Headmaster's chair, Professor Weasley poured over a set of books in front of her, while at the regular tables two figures began clearing the dishes…Bill and the Durmstrang boy, neither one of them looking too happy about Weasley's newest idea of detention. Chewing on her lip a moment, Lucky then walked into the room, Weasley's eyes immediately rising from the book and gazing at her questioningly.

"If you want to study, you'll have to go to the library, Miss Conejo. These boys have detention."

"I know, Professor," Lucky said. "But I thought they could use another set of hands."

"Lucky, you can't just…" Hermione began, but suddenly hesitated, looking over at Sigiwalt and then to Bill and back to Lucky again. "Oh, all right, I admit I would like to get back home at a decent hour tonight. But no talking, just work."

"_Gracias,_ Professor," Lucky said, going over to the Gryffindor table with a quick glance to Bill who suddenly smiled and nodded to her, understanding it was her way of apologizing.


	22. Slughorn's Pet Shopping

XXII

Slughorn's Pet Shopping

The next day was Saturday, and Bill quickly agreed to meet Lucky for a walk by the lake. She was there when he got there, sitting near the boathouse and watching the tentacles that sometimes would appear above the surface of the lake.

"You're right, you know," she said after a moment. "About me not wanting to get involved and all of that."

"I guess in a way you were right,too, considering all it got me was trouble," Bill said.

"No, no, _amigo_, you were fighting the establishment, there is nothing wrong with that. It's your duty as…as a Canadian citizen," Lucky said, then paused. "You know, it sounds better to me when I can say American with that."

"Or British?" Bill said, but Lucky crinkled her nose.

"No, no, the British have no scruples. Besides, all they know how to do is walk in a straight line and act like robots. Where is the emotion behind these people, that's what I want to know?" Lucky scoffed.

"Oh, it's there," Bill said, sitting beside her. "Although really, Lucky, in some ways I wonder about you. You do care about the Snapes, don't you?"

"No, I can't really afford to care. I don't like attachments. People…they just let you down," Lucky said, picking at the grass. "I prefer to be on my own."

"But you're here."

"I wanted to learn magic, and the schools in the States wouldn't take me because of my juvenile record," Lucky said with a grin.

"They wouldn't take you?" Bill gawked. "And because of it you got in here, probably the best school on the planet? Damn, you really are lucky."

"I've been thinking about leaving though," she admitted. "I get tired of everyone telling me what to do."

"I've thought about it too," Bill admitted. "I miss my Mum."

"Man, don't say it like that, you sound like a baby," Lucky said, getting up. "Come on, if I can stick with this, you can. And speaking of that, just why were you in trouble yesterday, anyhow?"

"Oh, that old slug caught me trying to break into the research library…."

"What is with you and that library? Why is it so important?" Lucky asked with exasperation.

"Because it has more than just books in it," Bill said impatiently. "In that room is a special crystal under thick glass…a crystal from another world that belongs to the Headmaster. Around it are three mirrors, set to reflect the images within…secret images, distorted images and yet…and yet it calls to me. It has since I first laid eyes on it."

"Now why didn't you tell me that before when I asked you what the deal with the back room was?" Lucky frowned.

"I couldn't very well say anything with students all around, let alone Boulderdash breathing down our necks," Bill said impatiently. "The Headmaster was using the crystal for some sort of experiment with the mirrors…I think he set them up to see things more clearly, and that's why I want to get in there. I'm hoping it'll give us a clue to how to break the curse."

"You know, I am just going to set aside the obvious question as to how in the hell you know about this crystal in there for now and ask you this. What makes you think this crystal will show you something it didn't show the Headmaster about the curse?"

"Because I'm connected to it somehow," Bill said insistently.

"I would guess the Headmaster is too if he's experimenting with it," Lucky said.

"Yes, but he's been affected by the curse…"

"You've been listening to student rumors again. I told you Vallid said he was all right," Lucky said crossly.

"Well, maybe it needs a different point of view. I need to see it again, Lucky, I need to, but I can't figure out any way in. They have that place sealed with every hex and spell they can think of."

"Did you try the door?" Lucky asked.

"Oh, don't start that now, please, and just listen to what I'm saying for once! I've tried getting in there before, but it's charmed so that only Professors get in. In fact…in fact, I'm the one who helped student proof it," he sighed. "Before the school year, the Headmaster had me help test it." Lucky stared at him.

"You knew the Headmaster before school? But I thought…"

"He knows my mother," Bill interrupted. "Please, I'm not sure I'm ready to tell you any more."

"Well, you can trust in me, _amigo_…"

"When you yourself just told me to trust no one?" Bill said. Lucky let out a deep sigh.

"All right, all right, I will help you get in there. If there is a door, there is a way past it, _chico_. All you need is the right key," Lucky said, and Bill grinned.

"Thanks, Lucky, I was hoping you'd help…"

"Now, don't get sentimental! I'm only doing it because, well, I think I owe you one. And besides, maybe you won't accuse me of not caring any more."

"Lucky…"

"No…no, _chico_. It's not you," Lucky said, putting her hands in her pockets. "And I don't know if I can es'plain it to you…but sometimes when you lose everything, it's easier just to walk away then try to pick up pieces that never fit quite right if you try. And then, if you walk far enough away, you figure out that the only way not to lose anything is not to have anything. Eh, I guess you wouldn't get it."

"No, I think I understand you this time," Bill said. "But I think you must have blundered somewhere, because now you have me as a friend, if nobody else."

"Yeah, it seems I got more than I bargained for," Lucky said dryly.

"Just lucky, I guess," Bill grinned. "Come on, I don't know about you, but I'm getting hungry again."

"_Sí,_ the sun is climbing high, let's go in," Lucky agreed. But as they started for the castle, they suddenly heard the warning hoot of an owl which dove in front of them, dropping a note. "_Estupido_ birds! What do they put in their food anyhow to keep them so wired?"

"They eat mice and moles," Bill said matter-of-factly, picking it up. "It's addressed to you, Lucky."

"Eh? Let me see that," Lucky said, opening it, then rolling her eyes. "It's the Slug again. I'm invited to tea in an hour."

"The Slug? I thought you were one of his _special_ friends…"

"Now don't get all immature on me again, I didn't ask for this," Lucky said irritably.

"But you're going to go, aren't you?" Bill said.

"He's a Professor. I don't have much of a choice, do I?" Lucky said. Bill gave her a cold look and simply continued towards the castle. "Wait…Bill, come on," Lucky said, grabbing his arm. "Let me get this over with, then tonight, we'll try that door, ok?"

"Okay," Bill said after a moment. "Just don't forget me this time."

"I won't," Lucky promised. Bill gave her a wan smile and nodded before the two of them went back inside. But Lucky's thoughts were already wavering a bit. Bill was right, this whole situation with Slughorn wasn't quite right. But at least if he tried to pump her for information about the Snapes, she could truthfully tell him she had none to give.

As Lucky got to the partially open door, she was more than surprised to hear other voices inside. Cautiously she knocked, trying not to open it further.

"Come in! Come in! Ah, Miss Conejo!" Slughorn said, pleased. Beside him, Delia and Cedric turned to greet her as well, but Lucky couldn't help but notice that Delia wasn't quite as enthusiastic. "Welcome! I'm waiting for a few more…ah, and there's Miss Malfoy now." Cedric instantly stood up and Lucky peered around to see Mary standing behind her and quickly got out of the doorway. Sitting close behind the door was Sigiwalt Runestein, who squinted at everyone who came in, but before she could say something to him, a smell so familiar hit her nose that she was immediately distracted.

"It smells like New York in here!" Lucky said with interest, taking a deep breath.

"You don't say?" Slughorn said with an enigmatic smile. "Is that what it smells like to you?"

"Well, yes, but without the fumes," Lucky said, but her thoughts were interrupted by a timid knock at the door.

"Ah yes, my last guest! Come in, come in, uh…on-tray-view-seal-view-play! Yes, I think that's right," Slughorn said as Juliette shuffled in, looking quite pale and nervous. She became even more nervous when she saw Runestein squinting at her. "Someone get the door? Ah, thank you, Mary," he said, but Mary was already quite anxious to close it. It would never do for Weasley to find out that she and Cedric were in the same room together. But once the door was closed, she broke into a winning smile and sat right beside him, Cedric grinning back at her.

"Well, it's hardly our doing, is it?" Cedric whispered to her.

"Hm, what was that?" Slughorn asked.

"We were wondering why we were all here, sir," Cedric said.

"Ah! For tea, of course! Didn't you get my note? Oh, and I have a special treat for those of you not so accustomed to our food as well," he winked then went over to the desk, which was lined with large stainless roasters, and opened the lids, a strange mix of smells entering the room. In the back of her head, Lucky could almost hear the sound of tinkling bells and squeaky wheels from a cart coming down a street.

"Tamales!" Lucky said, and immediately headed for the table. Juliette followed close behind, picking a rolled crepe filled with cheese, while Sigiwalt simply folded his arms.

"Why, Mr. Runestein! I thought you would be the first over there, you'll find all sorts of things you would like," Slughorn said.

"I vait for dem to see if it is poisoned first," Sigiwalt explained. Both Lucky and Juliette looked up at the same time and stared at him.

"_Poisson?"_ Juliette said after a moment.

"No, not fish," Sigiwalt said, rolling his eyes.

"Well, we know those are all right, but who is going to sample the others?" Mary asked, gazing slyly at Cedric.

"I, of course, shall rise to the occasion," Cedric declared. This time Delia rolled her eyes, going over with him to grab a plate.

"Have students gotten so suspicious of their Professors over the years?" Slughorn asked, troubled.

"Blame our parents," Cedric chuckled, taking a token bite off the plate of sausages and mash in front of him before handing it to Mary.

"Ah, yes," Slughorn said distantly, and then nodded. "Your parents…yours especially, Cedric, went through such trying times when…well when all that business with the dark wizards was going on…"

"Voldemort," Sigiwalt said.

"Mr. Runestein, please!"

"Who's Voldemort?" Lucky asked.

"You are very lucky not to have known that name in any way," Slughorn told her. "He was in many ways the greatest evil our kind has ever known."

"I am no stranger to evil, Professor," Lucky said flatly. "But I learned a long time ago the greatest evil is on the inside of us, not anything or anybody else we run into." Slughorn stared at her a moment with a frown, as if pondering how to answer that.

"Is dat sausage safe?" Sigiwalt asked.

"Safe if you don't mind heartburn," Cedric joked.

"Go right ahead, Siggy, it's a little spicy though," Mary warned.

"Have some kraut to go with it. It matches your sour disposition," Cedric added, getting punched in the arm by Mary. "Sure you have enough sweets, Delia?"

"I like pastries with my tea," she said calmly, sitting down.

"So, Miss Agate, your father is an Owl Keeper for the London Post Office, isn't he?" Slughorn asked, pouring out some tea.

"Head Owl Keeper," Delia agreed.

"I thought so! I've known the current Postmaster for ages, you know, he was one of my former students. In fact, I admittedly helped get him that job," said Slughorn. "He was always quite organized, you know…in Slytherin house, of course…."

Lucky attempted to follow the story at first, but her mind soon wandered to wondering what the others were thinking. Only Delia was listening carefully. Sigiwalt seemed to be making an attempt, but his expression betrayed his boredom. Cedric was nodding and grinning but possibly not listening to a word of it. He was too busy trying to casually get his arm around Mary, who kept looking nervously over at the door. And Juliette didn't bother even the pretense of listening. She was too busy exploring the food selection. Lucky found herself envying the girl. Maybe she should have feigned bad English when she first came to Hogwarts.

"Yes, I've known him for some time, although, as I'm sure you know, he's been talking about retiring soon," Slughorn said. Lucky suddenly became interested again, frowning slightly. "I'll have to put in a good word for your father," he added with a wink.

"Always good to have connections," Delia grinned.

"My sentiments exactly, you're a student after my own heart," Slughorn said, pleased. But Lucky found herself disliking him even more. "Of course, I have had plenty of chances over the years to make connections and friends…why, I even taught Mr. Potter's grandparents…all four of them, actually….and I knew your grandfather as well, Miss Malfoy," he added. Lucky watched as Mary's face suddenly drained of all color and her smile faded as she nodded in response. "I know from advanced potions class that Mr. Potter is going into a field in magical geology, what sort of career were you thinking about? Perhaps one in politics like your father?"

"Oh, definitely not," Mary protested, immediately rebounding. "Actually, I'm not completely certain, but I was thinking of perhaps a career making charmed jewelry or something."

"Ah! Well, that would go nicely together with Cedric's talents, wouldn't it?" Slughorn said with a smile.

"Yes, and she's very good with her hands," Cedric said, then suddenly bit his tongue as Mary gave him a sideways glance. Lucky sniggered softly, and might have been tempted to say something extremely inappropriate had Juliette not dropped her plate. Juliette began exclaiming words in French as she tried to clean it up.

"Oh, dear, I suppose that's my fault. It must be quite dreary listening to someone when you can only understand every other word," Slughorn said, moving to help her.

"Not as dreary as when we can understand every word," Lucky muttered in a low voice to Delia, earning a scowl in exchange.

"Here, let me get you a translation potion, Juliette," he said, looking at the potion shelves beside him thoughtfully.

"Professor Veaseley has forbidden us to use such t'ings, Professor, so dat we vill improve our English," Sigiwalt said.

"Oh, well, yes, of course, but we're hardly in a school situation, this is a social event! I'm sure a little rule bending won't hurt anyone," Slughorn said smoothly. "Besides, I've been dying to talk to her about another student of mine who married the Headmaster of Beauxbatons. Now, where would that potion be?"

"You know Hagrid as well?" Cedric asked with open curiosity.

"Professeur 'agrid?" Juliette said with open interest.

"Of course, of course…although he wasn't much for my subject…tragic what happened…I tried to get Dippet to change his mind and let him stay…"

"Really? I thought that was Dumbledore," Cedric interrupted.

"Oh, well, him too," Slughorn said. "But what's important is it worked out all right in the end…"

"_Uno momento_…just who is it that you know that this boy knows?" Lucky asked suspiciously, jerking her thumb at Runestein.

"Now that you mention it, I happen to have had his current Headmaster and his wife both as students…"

"I thought so," Lucky said, putting down her plate and getting up. "_Adios."_

"I'm sorry?" Slughorn said.

"I don't think I fit into this group of yours," Lucky said bluntly. "I think I'm here because you know the Headmaster is my guardian, but my total time with him outside of a courtroom was no more than the time it takes to eat two helpings of pancakes and on his part some smelly fish on toast. I have nothing to offer you."

"My dear girl, you are getting the complete wrong impression of me! You are not here because of who you know, far from it! I just happen to know a great many people! Why, there is hardly a student here at the school that doesn't have someone I know connected to them," Slughorn said with a tolerant smile. "You were invited, along with the others, because I always make it a point to get to know students of the school who have the most promise and potential to see how they're planning to use their talents, perhaps provide some advise and wisdom…"

"Why isn't Bill here? He is the top first year," Lucky said. Slughorn smiled wanly.

"My dear, there is a distinct difference between a student who simply makes good marks and one that has true merit. Anyone capable of going to this school can do the necessary work to get those marks, but that is no measure of talent or creativity. Your friend is a very good student, but I'm afraid he lacks general potential."

"In other words, either you don't know his parents, or you have no use for Canadian connections."

"Miss Conejo, that boy is no more Canadian than I am, and regardless of any circulating rumors, I can assure you from my _true_ Canadian connections that there is no Auror Kingfisher in that country…in fact, they don't even use the term Auror…they call them Flyers. And if that doesn't convince you, Mr. Kingfisher has on record a London address," Slughorn said.

"I knew there wasn't something right about that boy," Delia said triumphantly.

"Do you know you are not only calling my friend a liar but you are calling Judge Vallid a liar?" Lucky said angrily.

"I am not calling anyone a liar, Miss Conejo, I am merely stating facts," Slughorn said, the smile even more false than before. "And although this is a friendly gathering, I might remind you that it isn't wise to speak in such a tone to a Hogwarts Professor."

"You're no Hogwarts Professor. You're just an old man who is so far removed from youth you think we're dumb enough to fall for such tricks. And maybe some of these others don't know what the real world is like, but I do. You will have to do your pet shopping elsewhere. I got better things to do," Lucky declared, then walked out. Juliette's eyes darted around the room and then she hurried out after her, leaving Slughorn staring after them with the bottle in his hands and his face as white as a sheet. Delia shook her head.

"She's a loose wand, that one. Really, she flies off the handle at every given opportunity," Delia declared.

"Amazing that the Headmaster would have sponsored such a girl," Slughorn agreed.

"She does have spirit," Sigiwalt agreed. "Can I have more?"

"Help yourself," Slughorn agreed. "Unless anyone else wants to leave?"

"I'm not going anywhere," Cedric said with a grin, but it was obvious to the other students there that he had a different agenda, and Mary chuckled at him knowingly.


	23. What Bill Saw This Time

_A/N Will probably put the last two chapters of this story up later tonight, once I have a chance to give them one last look-over; don't want to leave you hanging too much on this one (g) JCWriter _

XXIII

What Bill Saw This Time

Lucky's triumphant smile turned to one of curiosity as she and Professor Weasley stepped out of her office a few minutes later. Juliette was standing there, gazing between them guardedly.

"If you're here about Slughorn's little tea, I'm already aware of it," Hermione told the girl briskly before walking away. "I'm heading down there right now." Juliette merely stared after her a moment before looking back over at Lucky.

"Couldn't stomach it either, _chica?"_ Lucky asked.

"All right, Lucky?" Juliette asked softly.

"Oh, I'm used to that sort self-serving attitude. I run into it all the time back home," Lucky said, blowing it off and walking down the hall. But after a few steps she noticed that the timid girl was following behind her. Lucky stopped and turned around. "You know, I need to go meet a friend. Why don't you go back to your own house friends? It's Saturday. Live it up a little." Juliette gave Lucky a hard look as if attempting to understand before finally walking away.

Lucky shook her head and picked up the pace, wondering where Bill was. She decided to check the library first, and wasn't all that surprised to find him sitting with his hands clasped over his history book, staring down the aisle at the closed door.

"You're obsessed, _amigo,_ you know that?" Lucky said, sitting down beside them.

"I was thinking it'd be a good idea to keep track of who all goes in so I make sure they all are out tonight before we go in," Bill said in a low voice.

"You're staying here all night? Even through dinner?" Lucky said dubiously.

"Well, maybe you can break me for dinner," Bill suggested. Lucky stared at him. "How was your tea party?"

"Oh that. Well, the next time you tell me someone is a jerk, I think I'll listen," Lucky said, then stared at the door. She could only handle five minutes of that before she was bored out of her mind. "Why don't we wait 'til late and just take our chances?"

"I can't afford to get caught. People might ask awkward questions," Bill murmured.

"You mean like, what are we doing trying to break into a research library?"

"Hush! Someone might hear you," Bill hissed at her nervously.

"_Excusez-moi,_ but, I see you are doing 'istoree?" Juliette said. Lucky looked up in annoyance at the nervous girl, hugging her books to her. "I wonder if we could study togethers?"

"Um, sure, I guess," Bill said, but as Juliette sat down, Lucky stood up.

"I think I'm going to take a nap," she decided. "I'll come study later, Bill."

"All right," Bill said, then reluctantly turned to his books while still keeping an eye on the door.

Lucky didn't return until just before the end of library hours, and Bill, although he had his finished History report to show for it, was quite drowsy to say the least. In fact, he and Juliette were both dozing off when Lucky hit his shoulder with the back of his hand.

"Come on, get up, let's go," Lucky whispered impatiently.

"But…"

"The library is about to close. I have something for you, too. Come on," Lucky hissed, pulling him away from the table. Reluctantly Bill gathered his books and the two of them left, although Bill was very aware of Boulderdash's squinty black eyes staring at him suspiciously. But Lucky ignored him, dragging Bill out and into the next corridor, pulling out some sloppy sandwiches out of her pocket. "Here."

"Thanks, I guess," he said, lifting up one corner skeptically. "Do you always eat everything wrapped in bread? There are even vegetables in here."

"They keep you sharp, you know," Lucky said, then pulled him back quickly, nearly making Bill lose a lot of the contents of his meal. "Stop fighting me! Someone is coming!" she hissed at him.

"I will watch them, Professor, and truly, had I known the situation coming into the school, I assure you that wouldn't have occurred," Lucky heard Slughorn say. She crept back a little further as he and Weasley past the corridor they were in.

"I agree it was partially my fault. Since they were already in separate classes, I didn't think it would come up," Hermione said.

"Is it against policy to have students chat in one's office these days?"

"No, of course not, Horace, although I would consider the fact that parents are quick to complain about favoritism. Anyhow, I really need to be going, right after I have a word with Boulderdash," Hermione said, pausing in front of the library door. "He usually goes to visit his brother on Saturday evenings. Tonks volunteered to go help Harry out…he can't sleep these days without an Auror there to fend whoever tries to kill him, even secret locations haven't been foolproof…but I will be at home, so don't hesitate to send up a flame if you need me."

"It's hardly the first time I've looked over the castle for an evening, Professor," Slughorn said dryly.

"Well, of course not, although security is much tighter with the current Headmaster than it used to be…"  
"I'll manage," Slughorn said, then waited outside the door for Hermione to finish her business with Boulderdash so he could walk her out.

"Sounds like my luck is still holding. Anybody who would have caused us problems is leaving for the weekend," Lucky said, peering around the corner as Hermione came back out of the library and the two walked down the hall. "We just have to wait for the librarian to leave and we should be all set."

"I guess," Bill said, troubled. "Why in the world would Weasley trust the school to someone like Slughorn?"

"Yeah, I'm surprised she didn't give it to Professor Andrew," Lucky agreed.

"Well, knowing Andrew, he probably had a few dates lined up," Bill said.

"A few dates?" Lucky repeated.

"Yeah, he's a real playboy, didn't you know?" Bill said casually. Lucky stared at him, trying to imagine that overgrown scarecrow attracting even a single date let alone several.

"Wait, how do you know?" Lucky asked.

"Duck! Here comes the Goblin!" Bill hissed. Lucky straightened up closer to the wall as Boulderdash began to walk by, while Bill held his breath, clinging onto her uncomfortably tight.

Lucky didn't dare move, for the goblin had paused and made a strange sniffing noise. But he harrumphed softly and continued on his way with one hand strangely positioned near his belt.

"Let go of me," Lucky hissed after the Goblin had left, peeling Bill off of her. "You are such a baby sometimes! What are you, a five year old?"

"Seven," Bill sighed.

"Ya, funny…"

"No, I'm really seven," Bill said so insistently that Lucky stared at him. But Bill looked away. "I'm using an illusion to feign my identity. I'm not Canadian, I don't even live more than five miles from here. I don't have a famous father, I don't even know who my father was. Some friends of mine helped get my name on the school register and snuck me in because Headmaster Snape didn't want me to come early. He's…well, he's my godfather." Lucky stood there and stared at him in the darkness for a long time. "I suppose you don't believe me."

"It answers a lot of questions, really," Lucky murmured, thinking back, then pausing. "But then why did Judge Vallid say what she did? I mean…well, she didn't seem the type to lie about something like that."

"I know, I can't figure it out either," Bill admitted, looking back out to the hall. "The coast is clear. Maybe we ought to go."

"Yeah, let's end this thing so your godfather can get back to work, eh?" Lucky said.

"And your guardian," Bill agreed.

"Hey! We're practically family then!" Lucky grinned, and Bill grinned back. "Let's go take a look of that door of yours."

A library with few people in it can make someone uneasy even during the daytime, but that was nothing compared to the uneasiness the two felt now as they crept inside, fearful of every shadow. Silently Lucky followed Bill back to the door, and as suspected, it was shut tight. Without much hope of it actually opening, Bill cautiously tried the handle.

"Now we come to the hard part," Bill said, taking out his wand.

"Not so fast, _chico_…let's think this through before you start blasting anything," Lucky advised. "It should be simple enough."

"Simple?" Bill said incredulously. "Didn't I tell you all the trouble I had the last time I tried this? No one can get through that door…"

"Then it wouldn't be a door," Lucky reasoned. "It would be a wall. A door may keep people out, but its main purpose is to let people in, _verdad_?"

"Right, but I'm telling you it's pretty good at keeping people out," Bill said, but Lucky seemed to ignore his warning.

"Let's go back to basics, _chico._ How does one get into a door?" Lucky asked patiently. "First, you can try knob. We know that is no good. We could have a key, but we know the key is being a Professor…which we aren't. Then there is the knocking option." Lucky rapped smartly on the door and immediately Bill panicked, grabbing her arm and pulling her back behind the bookshelf.

"Are you crazy?" he hissed at her. Lucky calmly gazed at the door and waited a few minutes before answering.  
"Well, now we not only eliminated that option, we figured out no one's likely to be in there."

"Who says someone isn't in there and just didn't answer?"

"You need to work on your logic, amigo. Since staff can get in, the only ones who'd be knocking is a student, and any teacher should have been out here demanding what we were doing out here. There's no one in there," Lucky said. "The next way of getting in is, of course, breaking in, which you say is impossible."

"Well, I couldn't get in by myself, at least," Bill said.

"It's okay, I have another plan," Lucky said, stepping back over to the door.

"Another? What other?" Bill asked.

"We change the lock," Lucky said, studying the door.

"What?"

"We cheat. We change out the lock itself to one we do have a key to…gimme some room," she said, putting her hands on the door.

"We cheat?" Bill repeated. "Why, that's just like what Sirius said Snape did…"

"Ssssh, I'm listening," Lucky said.

"To what?" Bill said in confusion.

"To the numbers, shut up!" she hissed.

She didn't really expect Bill to understand what she meant…but to her, this was a number problem; it had a '1' and '0' quality…open, or not. It had a condition…if faculty then this, if not than that. And as she looked closer at the door, she realized there were even more conditions and exceptions than she might have imagined….if castle ghost…if incorporeal, not ghost…if House Elf…the more she saw, the more numbers seemed to come out. Suddenly she saw a map of numbers in her head, a mesh of lines crossing each other and somehow reminding her of a computer schematic. Slowly she followed each of the lines until she understood them, completely blocking out Bill's nervous queries beside her. Finally she saw what she had to do, and since it now involved changing one number, was as simple to her as anything she had done before coming to the school. With absolute certainty that came with a perfect solution, Lucky opened her eyes with an enigmatic smile, turned the handle, and opened the door.

"How in the hell did you do that?" Bill stared at her. She thought about it a moment, then decided she couldn't explain it.

"Luck," she shrugged, walking in. "I changed it from 'staff only' to 'students only.' We shouldn't be bothered."

But as she stepped into the dark room, her eyes caught a soft, sparkling glow coming from inside a glass cubicle on a pedestal in the center aisle and she stopped short, feeling a strange, dark, sensation run through her.

"What is that?" Lucky asked.

"What we came for," Bill said, striding up to the pedestal. The closer he got, the brighter the crystal seemed to get brighter and brighter until the glow showed up in each of the three mirrors behind it. But even as Lucky felt a true feeling of foreboding looking at it, Bill felt a strange sense of power and self control. "Stay back," he cautioned her, although afterwards he couldn't remember why he had done so.

"_No problemo, amigo,"_ Lucky said, backing up. But as she did, she noticed that the door was still open, and a pale red-haired girl stood just behind it. "_Quién es_…Juliette! Are you following me again?"

"Look!" Juliette said, pointing over at the pedestal, and Lucky turned to see that the image of the hand holding the crystal had completely faded from the mirrors, while the crystal itself was growing even brighter than before, so much that it lit the whole room. But Bill didn't look away. He was murmuring something.

"Show me," he said softly to the crystal. "Show me how to stop this. Show me who's doing this and why."

The fog in the three windows suddenly began to clear and he felt a strange sensation. Not all of the images were quite right, but one seemed more in focus than the others. It was this one he concentrated on, and he saw two hazy silhouettes…a crumpled thin figure, and a hunched, larger figure in a rather plain white room.

"You are well, I hope?" the larger figure asked. Bill recognized it at once. It was Slughorn.

"It is I who should be asking you," a woman's voice came from the other, but Slughorn seemed not to hear the question.

"I have done as you asked, but they did not believe a word of it."

"No, I didn't expect them to," she said, a shakiness to her voice despite her attempt to seem at ease.

"Then why the devil did I go all the way up there? I ended up being a curtain for hours…do you know how hard it is to manipulate illusions when one is hanging from a rod? For what reason?"

"Because if they don't heed my warning, they have only themselves to blame for what happens next, don't you see? They must see that not listening has consequences!" she said, reaching out. But her trembling hands stopped short of actually touching him.

"I suppose so, Sibyl," Slughorn said.

"You still are not sure, are you, old friend? Poor man, you still don't believe me," Trelawney accused him, her eyes strange behind the thick glasses.

"I believe your fate for me…for what you've seen is something I've long known," Slughorn said in a low voice. "But I need proof that what you said about the Snapes are true…"

"Promise…promise to free me, and I shall prove it! You have the influence, you know who to go to! I see myself outside these walls…I see you helping me…and then, perhaps, we can help each other. You shall see, yes, you shall see!" she whispered ominously.

"What is going on, _chico_? Do you see something I don't?" Lucky asked when Bill hadn't moved for awhile.

"Hush! Don't interrupt!" Bill said. But the image had already begun to fade and blur, and his eyes darted between the mirrors until another one finally focused in. Juliette edged in closer to try and see, but to her as well the images were little more than smoky figures.

Bill couldn't tell where the woman was this time…it was quite dark and bleak, and Bill had the impression she was in hiding. The man soon entered with a newspaper in his hand.

"So it is happening, just as you said," he said, sounding unsure.

"Of course…how else would I be here, and not in there…poked and prodded by doctors as if there was something wrong with me?" Trelawney said, anger in her voice as she restlessly paced the room.

"I received a letter, begging for me to come…the Headmaster, it seems, has left the school."

"Now you believe, don't you? Now you finally know the truth of what he is doing…all those names…what he has done…none of them should be alive. None of them, or the curse wouldn't have worked…the curse…yes, the curse that spares you! But how long? Oh, for how long? You must find it now…you must bring it here…and the crystal…the crystal as well! I must have it, you owe it to me, and you can't survive without my knowledge! But beware…beware the students of Hogwarts! They may be your undoing, as they were mine."

"I need no advice about students, Sibyl, as you can well remember, I'm sure," Slughorn said, a spark in his eyes that sent a chill through Bill. "With Snape gone, the castle will be at my disposal, and woe to any student who stands in my way."

Suddenly there was a flash, and Bill and the others instinctively dove as three black shadows burst out from the crystal, their misty arms raising their scythes as they picked a target.

"_Bannisez!"_ Juliette intoned, pulling out her wand in a lightning-quick movement and casting a spell at the figures. Immediately the misty figures suddenly lost shape and spread out like black clouds before fading all together.

"Whoa…" Lucky said, but before she could comment more, she saw that Juliette staring hard at Bill, who had shakily pulled himself up to his feet, puzzling over what he had seen.

"It's not…it's not really us they're after…" Bill said, sounding strange. "It's a distraction, don't you see?"

"No, we didn't see anything! What are you talking about?" Lucky said.

"I think Slughorn is dying," Bill said. Before he could explain, Juliette suddenly leapt to her feet and bolted out the door. "Wait, we should stay here! I think he's going to steal the crystal!"

"He can't get in here, _amigo,_ students only, remember?" Lucky said, scrambling to her feet. "Come on, let's follow her."

"I'm not leaving it!" Bill shouted.

_Leave it, boy._

Bill turned around expecting to see where the voice was coming from only to see that the fingers on the alabaster hand had suddenly elongated and flattened until it covered the crystal altogether. Stunned, Bill found himself getting dragged out of the room, Lucky pulling him into the hall in time to just barely catch the sight of Juliette running up the back stairs.

Lucky let go and broke into a run, and Bill shook himself out of it, trying to catch up. She paused only briefly at the stairs, staring up in bewilderment.

"Where in the hell did that little faker go?" Lucky asked out loud. "She's gone! Poof! Into thin air!"

"What?" Bill said, out of breath.

"That girl…she knows English, I've suspected it all along. She just didn't want anyone to know what she was up to! I bet she has something to do with all of this!"

"Maybe she's the woman I kept seeing," Bill said.

"Well if she is, she's wherever the Slug is," Lucky said. "And this castle is too big to try and find them."

"Well, I'm not ready to give in yet," Bill decided and began up the stairs again. "Come on, we have got to at least try!"

"It'll take more than luck to find them," Lucky said dryly. "It'll take a miracle."

"Wait! What on earth is that noise?" Bill asked. Lucky paused a moment, and then shrugged, but he shushed her again before she could answer. Then she heard it…a strange hollow screeching sound that somehow reminded her of the sound from Yankee Stadium when standing at the far side of the parking lot. "Come on!" he said in a much lower voice, and the two of them darted up the stairs, pausing every now and again to listen.


	24. The True Motive

_A/N Second Chapter Today; don't miss What Bill Saw This Time. JCWriter. _

XXIV

The True Motive

Far above, Horace Slughorn was thinking he would need a miracle as well. He stood before the large iron statue of a dragon with batlike wings, pulled tight across its face and with a strange, snakelike tail. On the floor beside him was a pile of discarded books; Slughorn was becoming a very frustrated old wizard. He knew after tapping the very first book, the Dictionary of Magic…that the Headmaster's password was more likely to be a phrase rather than a single word, but so far after going through half of his encyclopedias, the password had eluded him. He grabbed the next volume, tapping his wand to it. A rather loud and yet muttering sound rushed out of the book as it spoke out every word written at lightning speed.

"What is he doing?" Lucky whispered from where they were looking out from the stairwell.

"That's the Headmaster's Study," Bill growled, pulling out his wand. "Well, he's not getting in there on my watch."

"Wait!" Lucky hissed, but it was too late; Bill had already charged towards him. But Lucky wisely stayed put, pulling out her own wand and muttering obscenities under her breath.

"Get away from that statue!" Bill shouted at Slughorn, causing the man to pull his own wand.

"Kingfisher! What are you doing up here at this hour? And pointing a wand at a Professor? You're in big trouble, son." Slughorn said, his eyes flashing dangerously.

"You're the one in trouble!" Bill said hotly. "You're the one trying to break in the Headmaster's Study! He wouldn't even be gone if it wasn't for you!"

"I am a mere observer as you are, Mr. Kingfisher, now put down the wand," Slughorn said.

"You're a liar," Bill growled.

"Merely an opportunist," he said, waving his wand at Bill again.

"Are you?" Bill said, bending and slowly put down his wand, watching as Slughorn slightly lowered his. "Well, so am I!"

Before Slughorn could figure out what he was doing, Bill ran over to the dragon statue and began to make a tickling motion with his hands just under its wings. Suddenly, the statue stretched them out, and just as Bill ducked the dragon let out a flaming breath!

How exactly Slughorn bent himself to miss the brunt of the attack Bill couldn't quite fathom, and with a flick of the wand, Slughorn was able to minimize the burns he had gotten from the flames. Growling with anger, Slughorn targeted the youth before he had time to scramble back to his feet, and Bill suddenly took on a grey appearance and stiffened, falling back to the ground as the petrification spell hit him.

"Leave him alone!" Lucky shouted in surprise, dashing into view with her wand out.

"One more move, Miss Conejo, and I would be very worried about your friend," Slughorn warned her, his wand still pointed at Bill's frozen figure, and Lucky reluctantly stopped.

"Wand?" he prompted. With a sigh, she held it out, and he took it. "I think detention is in order for you both…somewhere quiet where it will take some time for anyone to locate you. But right now, it seems that Mr. Kingfisher gave me some insight on how to get in," he said, waving her over near Bill before turning to the statue again. "_Draco Dormiens Nunquam Titillandus!"_

Slowly the statue and door slid out of the way, and Slughorn nodded with satisfaction to see the spiral staircase beyond it.

"Excellent," Slughorn said with satisfaction, then waved the wand at Lucky and over to Bill. "After you. And bring your friend with you."

Glaring at Slughorn viciously, Lucky still didn't see that she had any other choice, at least not until Bill was back to normal so they could think something up. His stiffness made the stairs problematic despite the fact he was much lighter than Lucky had suspected, but somehow she managed to drag him up the stairs and push her way into a circular room.

She dropped him then, panting from exertion as she looked around. Just then, she felt a lump in her throat and could barely breathe as she realized the room had a thousand eyes. Paintings and paintings of old wizards and witches lined the walls of the room and they all seemed to be looking directly at her, especially the one with the blinking blue eyes and long white beard, who gazed curiously at her over the rim of his spectacles.

"_Flipendo!"_ Slughorn intoned behind her so loud it made her jump. But his wand was pointed at the walls instead of her, and Lucky watched in amazement as the paintings all flipped to their backs at once. A strange sensation went through her then as she heard several grunts and groans coming from the portraits themselves.

"That's one less distraction," Slughorn said, glancing around with his wand still out. "Stay where you are, and keep your friend there as well," he ordered, walking over to the Headmaster's desk.

"He doesn't look like he's going to go anywhere, thanks to you," Lucky said angrily, but immediately she saw that wasn't completely true. The color of his skin seemed to be improving, and she noticed his hand had moved positions. In no time, Bill was blinking. He sat up dizzily, looking around in confusion. The racket that Slughorn was making going through his desk soon got his attention, and the surprise of it helped clear Bill's head.

"What are you doing, are you crazy? Who knows what he keeps in there!" Bill protested.

"Quiet, or I'll make you a more permenant doorstop," Slughorn said, but his frustration was more over a particularly stubborn top drawer which seemed to be locked. He growled then, checking the other drawers for the key.

"If you're looking for the crystal, it's not here, you know," Bill said, Lucky hissing at him in warning.

"That's enough out of you!" Slughorn growled again, then looked at Lucky. "Here, you're a Number-turner, come get this drawer open!"

"Why should I?" Lucky said.

"Because I suspect you both want to get out of here alive," Slughorn said dangerously, but Bill grabbed her sleeve.

"We don't have to help him, Lucky. He's a dead man anyhow, and he knows it…"

"Exactly why I have nothing to lose!" he snarled, angrily banging his fist on the desk. Immediately, the door popped open and Slughorn grunted in surprise. But his surprise would grow even more when he glanced at the Marauder's Map in the top of the drawer.

Suddenly he moved much faster than what Lucky might have ever expected him capable of and was immediately on them. He grabbed onto Lucky and pulled her up, pointing his wand at her neck.

"Show yourself, Snape!" Slughorn shouted. "I know you're in here. Show yourself, or your ward will not see tomorrow. Don't be a fool! I don't want to do it!"

"No, I'm sure you don't," said a voice from above, but it wasn't the one Lucky or Bill was expecting to hear.

Sigiwalt Runestein stepped calmly down the observatory stairs with a wand in hand.

"You feel that you have been pushed to the wall, I'm sure, but the man I knew would not harm a Hogwarts' student, no matter how desperate he may be," Sigiwalt…or rather Severus Snape…said.

"So…so you've been here all along," Slughorn said in a hollow voice.

"Have you ever heard the phrase, 'when the cat's away, the mice will play?' Perhaps in this case I was curious about what a rat might do in such a scenerio," Severus said, inspecting his desk and righting a mirror sitting there. Slughorn twisted his wand in response, and Lucky let out a sound of protest. "How about the one that goes, 'never send to know for whom the bell tolls, for it tolls for thee?'"

"You know what I want then, Severus," Slughorn said starkly.

"I assume you want the Philosopher's Stone, but it was destroyed long ago," he said.

"Liar!" Slughorn said with gritted teeth. "Perhaps I onced believed it, but I know better now. I've seen for myself how many people that surround you should have died but hadn't!"

"Then why is it that the Death Avatars didn't start chasing us until recently?" Severus asked. "In fact, I have a feeling the truth of the matter is that it was you they were after…Sibyl's curse just happened to help temporarily distract them from you by diverting their attention…"

"As well as to show me the truth about the stone!" Slughorn shouted.

"Horace, Ginny was never saved by an Elixir. She was saved by Phoenix tears," Severus said calmly. "Alicia would have been too young to be given it, as you well know, being a Potions' instructor…"

"And yet Jennifer survived!" Slughorn argued.

"Despite Sibyl's best efforts, yes, thanks to Dumbledore, but who is to say the Stone had anything to do with any of it?" Severus reasoned.

"Perhaps, but as it so happens, I have in my possession the one thing I need to find out…a potential corpse," Slughorn sneered.

"What?" Bill said in horror.

"Stay down," Severus snapped at Bill as Slughorn took out a phial from his sleeve. "Fortuna, don't move!"

"That won't save her, nor will her luck," Slughorn said. "I suppose you know what this is?"

"Pox Bile, I imagine," Severus said, unconcernedly.

"Yes, Pox Bile, one of the deadliest poisons, quick to act and no known antidote…"

"Thank you, but I'm not really a student. I know what it does," Severus said evenly.

"Then you know once I give it to the girl, she really would only have one hope left," Slughorn said.

"Then there is no hope, for I have no Elixir to give her, and you will end up doing nothing but killing a student and going to Azkaban for murder," Severus said quietly.

"I wouldn't last a week in prison, Severus. Then again, if there is no hope for her, there truly is no hope for me," he said, sweat beading down his face as he tried to look past the illusion of Sigiwalt to see Severus' true self. "But I do not believe you! You are lying, and I shall prove it!" he shouted, pushing off the stopper with his thumb.

"_LUMOSPIKE!" _

An arrow of light suddenly shot out from the direction of the curtain and hit the phial dead center with such precision and such force that it completely disentigrated the bottle!

The shockwave gave Slughorn enough of a pause to give Lucky time to wriggle away, his eyes darting over towards the slender red-haired girl standing in a curtained doorway near the back and looking even paler than usual. But Slughorn didn't have much time to think about it, for Severus was quickly on him.

Juliette, whom Lucky immediately realized must be Jennifer, pulled the two students well behind the desk, for fighting a morph of any sort was nasty business, changing shape to dodge blows and attack in ways a normal wizard might not anticipate. But Jennifer was beginning to see now just how sick Slughorn actually was. His energy had already been spent, and his movements soon became slow, clumsy and tired. Before very long, Severus had succeeded in wearing the old man out. He collapsed to the floor, sobbing.

"It can't be…" Slughorn said shakily. "It can't be over yet!"

"You have been misled, Horace, in more ways than one," Severus said crisply. "We will no longer chase off your demons. You will face them or succumb, but I think you realize at last that in the end, all those connections of yours mean nothing when it comes to your life."

Jennifer glanced at the two standing beside her and noticed Bill trembling, so she put a comforting arm around both of them.

"Get them out of here, Jennifer, and tell your father to head on upstairs. He should be in Hermione's office," Severus said, gathering up the wands. "Conejo…" he said, handing Lucky's to her as they walked by. "_Bailey…"_ Bill chuckled nervously at the dangerous look in Severus' eyes before taking his own wand, while Jennifer looked over at Severus in surprise. "I recognized your wand the moment I saw it in the hall that night. And Jennifer and I will also talk about _that_ later," he said. Jennifer grimaced at him then opened the door for the students, knowing exactly what she was in for on that conversation.

"Lucky shot," Lucky commented to Jennifer in a low voice in some attempt to cheer her up.

"That wasn't luck, that was talent," Severus grunted. "Perhaps someday you'll learn to tell the difference. Besides, do you really think I would have stood there and done nothing if I hadn't been certain she wasn't going to rise to the occasion?" Jennifer's demeanor instantly changed then, smiling beatifically at him before shutting the door behind them.

Severus paused to turn around all the paintings, half of which already had fallen back to sleep. But when he glanced over at the portrait of Dumbledore, the old Headmaster winked, taking a piece of licorice out of the candy dish in his hand. Severus simply nodded to him and then strode out of the room.


	25. How Almost Everything is Put to Rights

_A/N Third Chapter for today and LAST chapter! Don't miss 23 and 24! JCWriter _

XXV

How Almost Everything is Put to Rights

Severus had no intention of waiting even one minute after that for the cure. The moment that Slughorn was safely in Thomas' hands, he sent Harry after Trelawney and sent out Owls and sparks and fires to the rest. In little more than the time it took he and Jennifer to shun their disguise spells, the two were off we St. Mungo's, and one by one, those affected and those who cared for them piled into a room together, along with the weeping Trelawney and the slightly singed Harry (who must have run into another 'friend' along the way.)

Alex sat beside her sister with a hand on her shoulder, watching intently as Severus began to murmur the countercurse. The light in the room became strange then…with the area above their heads looking darker and darker, but below the room seemed to go brighter and brighter. Finally the darkness began to swirl until a funnel developed, reaching down to Trelawney. Jennifer flinched, attempting to keep herself from reacting to the mad woman's howling as the darkness seeped into her, knowing that it was unavoidable. At last the funnel began to dissipate as only small dark clouds remained above their heads. Severus then closed his eyes, carefully reciting his poem backwards, and the cloud above his cloud too then faded. Aurelius was next, the most physically injured, and then Harry and Ginny, Anna and then Sirius, who changed shape only long enough to be sure of it before Anna pulled him back out of it. At last Alicia felt a tingle and heard the odd rhythm of her poem said, the light in her eyes growing brighter and brighter until they finally began to clear. Alicia blinked several times to try to get used to the increasing light until she began to make out shadows…and then a silhouette, and finally her father's black eyes, staring at her expectantly.

"I never thought I would glad to see you," Alicia admitted with open relief. Severus' lip twitched fractionally, but as he still had Jennifer and Corey left to do didn't comment, leaving the others to do the hugging.

"Are you sure that worked?" Corey joked, despite his lightheadedness when Severus finished the chant.

"We could open a window for you if you like," Severus offered tiredly as he finished, kneading his brow in relief.

"Do I get to push him out?" Doug joked, but was obviously glad to see his friend back to his normal. But Severus' attention had already turned back to Sibyl, shaking his head at the sobbing figure with a frown.

"Sibyl, just what are we to do with you?" Severus sighed.

"Back to Azkaban if you ask me," Harry said vehemently. "And no more visitors from friends."

"She needs help, Harry. Solitude will just make her worse," Ginny said.

"She'll only cause trouble if you try to help her," Aurelius warned. "She must face charges."

"But can we truly blame her solely for her situation?" Essie asked.

"She's a danger to the public," Sirius growled.

"You have been too, lately," Anna pointed out.

"Thanks to her!"

"Not all because of her!" Anna said quietly.

"That's enough," Severus said at last. "Victims should not be judges. It was wrong of me to ask such a question."

"Good thing Father never contacted Sibyl then, considering that he also had…" Jennifer caught herself when Severus' eyes darted over at her. "…had a bit of luck avoiding a harrowing situation."

"Yes, perhaps we should send her back to the Ministry," Severus said, and Ginny sighed.

"I'll take her out," Ginny volunteered.

"You could always put in a request that she receive medical visitations, you know," Severus added to her in a low voice as she passed him. Ginny smiled slightly at that, and then coaxed the woman up on her feet and out of the room.

"So just what was Slughorn's reasoning in all of this anyhow, Severus? After all we've suffered for it, we've a right to know," Sirius asked.

"Yes, come to think of it, you haven't told me that either," Harry said. Severus gazed at them for a long time.

"She promised him a way to cheat death," Severus finally answered. "But what he didn't understand was there truly isn't such a thing, only ways to postpone it. Sooner or later the time will come to all of us, despite our best efforts. But I for one intend to do what I can to make certain those that follow in our footsteps don't completely ruin what we leave behind."

"The fate of the world is once again in the hands of Hogwarts and Severus Snape," Harry joked.

"God help us all," Sirius added with a grin. Anna nudged him. "Think they'll let me go home now that I've learned how to sit and stay?"

"Come on, I'll help you pull a few strings. I think we could all use a good night's sleep in our actual houses," Harry said, getting up.

"Hey, let's have an old fashioned family dinner at Baker Street," Alexandria suggested. "I can't remember the last time all of us sat down together."

"Yes, I think that's a great idea. I would like to see everyone before I take off again," Alicia said, causing Jennifer and Severus both to stop and gaze at her.

"Don't tell me you're leaving all ready!" Jennifer said, glancing at Severus who frowned slightly at his younger daughter.

"I don't think there's any way I can make you understand what I've been through lately, but…I need to get away. I want to see the world again with my own eyes, paint the scenery for a change instead of what's moving on it, and remind myself not to take such things for granted…my sight, my art, or my family," Alicia said firmly. "There's just so much I haven't done or seen that I still want to see, now more than ever! I've been so busy studying art that I haven't taken much time to appreciate the background." She waited for someone to say something, but Severus and Jennifer were still gazing at her wordlessly. Alicia sighed. "I'll be back for Christmas."

"You will?" Jennifer said, brightening.

"Of course I will," Alicia said. "It's just that…just for once I'd like to go away without running," she explained.

"As you like, you are always just a painting away, after all," Severus said with a slight shrug, and Jennifer relaxed.

"That's right, and next time I'm needed home, I'm going to listen," Alicia promised, then went to join Alex, Aurelius and Andrew as they walked out the door.

"So at least something has been accomplished from all of this," Severus mused. "I suppose I should go fetch Fortuna for this little get together, and perhaps our friend 'Bill' as well…and give myself an opportunity to ask the rest of the family how long they were planning to scheme behind my back on the matter…"

"Severus, I am sorry. I suppose I should have told you when I saw him at the Sorting but, I was a bit miffed…"

"Yes you should have, then perhaps I might not have been forced to glance over his current marks and school record and eat my words," Severus said, taking her arm. "Although he is definitely going to have to lose his alter identity. I refuse to support this silly charade. Now I understand why you chose that particular spell to disguise us…"

"But he can stay?" Jennifer asked brightly.

"I can't very well turn him away now, can I, especially since his meddling along with Fortuna's cleverness is how we found out the true reason behind Slughorn's scheme. It's a good thing our rooms are on the fifth floor. He could never have known from the map that you were steps away from us instead of stories below, not that we were in any danger of losing the Stone. I had hidden it in Dumbledore's painting, which he had summarily turned over to keep them from watching," Severus said.

"Brilliant," Jennifer said with a grin. "You knew he would cover them in some way, didn't you?"

"Slughorn was a Professor here way too long not to understand that the paintings of this castle make up a lot of the security," Severus nodded. "Alicia's presence here actually gave me the idea. I doubt he would have figured out how to get it out even if he did suspect it."

"So now what's to happen to him?" Jennifer asked quietly.

"He'll die in prison from old age, I suppose, not realizing it wasn't the Stone he was looking for so much as a way to turn back the years, and that's something the Stone can't do," Severus said, Jennifer growing even more somber. "I believe I know what you're thinking about, Jennifer. You are most likely thinking of the same thing that occurred to me the moment the reason behind this all came out. How many more people out there can put together facts of events in our history and come to the conclusion that was so easily discerned by a dying man and a mad woman? That the Stone still exists," he said in a lowered voice. She shook her head.

"You made them forget about it, didn't you?" Jennifer said quietly.

"More or less; actually it was a distraction spell so they can't think about it. I had no choice, Jennifer. You must realize that," Severus said. Jennifer nodded slightly. "I convinced them that their true intention was to use the curse to fend off the Death Avatars that kept chasing him, and that is that."

"All the same, even with them out of the way, as more time goes by it will be harder to hide its existence from others," Jennifer admitted.

"Well, perhaps it's time that you let a wrinkle or two slip by as well then…." Severus suddenly found himself the recipient of a look of complete horror. "Yes, that's what I thought."

"After all, I'm a Potions Master, surely I could be using something," Jennifer said.

"So the excuse of a happy relationship doesn't work anymore, does it?" Severus taunted.

"Oh, no, that excuse died years ago," Jennifer teased.

"Send on the avatars," Severus said dryly, stepping into the mist and heading home.

The End.

_And there you have it! Hope you enjoyed this second installment of the Headmaster Series. I'll most likely write another at some point, but for right now it's back to real writing for a bit...maybe in the summer...and no, I don't have a working title in mind yet, although I do have some avenues of character development I'd still like to explore, so we'll see! But for now, back to more serious projects. I really hope there were some surprises in there for you in this story, and I hope you liked Ambrose and Lucky. Thanks for reading, and thanks for the reviews! JCWriter. _


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